


The Worst Things in Life Come Free to Us

by mukeftlashton



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: 16 year old luke, 19 year old Michael, Anal Fingering, Barebacking, Blow Jobs, Bottom Luke, Child Abuse, Eventual Smut, Flavored Lube, Fluff, Grinding, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Minor Character Death, Mute Luke, Niall Horan - Freeform, Panic Attacks, Porn with Feelings, Rimming, TRIGGER WARNING FOR THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED THINGS SUCH AS SELF HARM AND PANIC ATTACKS, Those things are mild and self harm is only referenced, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Top Michael, Virgin Luke, cashton will eventually show up, fragile Luke, jack will also eventually show up, literally prepare yourself, thigh riding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-09
Updated: 2015-08-27
Packaged: 2018-03-17 01:41:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 38
Words: 54,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3510419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mukeftlashton/pseuds/mukeftlashton
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On the outside, Michael looks like a bitter rebel who doesn't care about the feelings of others. In reality, he's a kid who had his heart shattered, and he needs help picking up the pieces.</p><p>Luke is a fragile teen who lives with his abusive, alcoholic, homophobic father. He has resorted to not speaking, deciding that it isn't worth his time; no one cares about what he has to say anyways. </p><p>Piece by piece, they help each other rebuild the fragments of their shattered hearts, but it doesn't happen overnight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Maybe it's Not My Weekend, but it's Gonna Be My Year

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! This is my first fic, so take it easy on me? If anyone wants to beta this story let me know, because at the moment all the potential mistakes are my own, no one has read this over. I hope you enjoy, xx. (Fic title is from A Team by the amazing Ed Sheeran, chapter title is from Weightless by All Time Low.)

Michael sighed, glaring at the sink full of dishes that seemed to be mocking him. His feet burned with exhaustion, the weight of the ten hour shift that he just worked pressing down on him. He rubbed his eyes tiredly before grabbing the sponge, it wasn't as if these dishes were going to clean themselves; and anyways, the sooner they were finished, the sooner that Michael could finally leave. 

It wasn't that Michael hated his job, not at all. In fact, he was eternally grateful for the kindness that the owner of the shop, Alex, showed him last year when Michael's parents were involved in a fatal car crash. If it wasn't for Alex, Michael would probably be on the streets by now; it wasn't as if any of his bastard relatives would be willing to take him under their wing. 

As he scrubs at the greasy plates that have accumulated from the busy evening at the restaurant, he lets his mind wander to that night. 

He really hadn't experienced much trauma then, because despite the fact that most of his family hated him, he had his parents. His relationship with his parents was amazing, and he was very grateful for the fact that they loved him unconditionally, even when the rest of his family turned their backs on him. He remembers the day his family found out he is gay very clearly, the looks of disgust burned into the back of his brain, always there to haunt him when he feels as worthless as they told him he is. 

He remembers the tears in his mother's eyes all those years ago, as all the people she loved, the people that she thought she could trust, turned on him; simply because of his sexuality.

It's almost funny, in a cruel, twisted way; that the universe decided to rip the only people who loved Michael unconditionally right out of his grasp, in the most gruesome way. He would take the harsh words, the painful glares that he received from his family over and over again, if that meant he never needed to feel the pain that he'd felt in the last year. 

He shook his head, clearing it of the depressing thoughts. The past is the past, and if Michael has learned anything within the last year, it's that you can't change past experiences, but you can learn from them. And from these experiences, he learned that loves means pain. The only people he's ever loved have abandoned him, leaving him broken, and alone. 

So, Michael decided that he's not going to love again, he's just going to keep fending for himself, living alone in his one bedroom apartment across from the restaurant. He doesn't need friends, and he certainly doesn't need to fall in love, because he knows it's just going to lead to heart break; and honestly, he doesn't think he can take any more of that. 

He dries the last of the dishes, carefully putting it away. He wishes for what feels like the millionth time that this place had a dish washer, it would make his life a lot easier. 

He unties his apron from behind him, hanging it on the hook that rests at the top of the kitchen door as he walks out, and into the office Alex has in the back of the tiny building. He grabs his neatly folded clothes from the sofa, quickly replacing his sweaty work uniform with them. Once he has his black leather jacket in hand, he heads out the back door, deciding last minute that he's going to the little clearing that he loves. His mind still feels a little crazy as he climbs into his beaten up car, bombarded with painful memories, and he just wants to sit and think. 

. . . 

Luke flinches when he hears the door swing open, crashing into the wall behind it with a loud bang. He sits up quickly, already running to the door and pushing his desk in front of it, hoping that it will at least give him some time to think before his asshole of a father comes barging in here. 

He winces at the pain in his bruised arms as he slowly pushes the desk over, not wanting to grab his father's attention with the noise of wood scraping against wood as he slides the desk so that it effectively barricades the door.

He knows that he won't have much time regardless of his efforts, and if his father gets in here, he's going to beat him senseless. Luke is sure that if he has to take another beating, he's done. He already feels incredibly weak, his entire body aching from the pain that his father inflicted on him yesterday, and every other day that week.

His thoughts are interrupted by the heavy thud of his father's boots on the stairs, “Luke? Where the fuck are you?” Luke winced, eyes going wide as he scanned the room, desperately trying to think of a way to avoid his father. They landed on the window, but he shook his head. There was no way that he could make that jump, even if he was in good health, and definitely not given the state that he is currently in. 

The door knob slowly turns, and he watches it, frozen in place by fear. The sound of the door hitting the desk startles him, and he glances at the window again, contemplating. “Did you fucking barricade this door, you little faggot? You're pathetic, you know that right?” Luke whimpers as the desk starts to move, and he knows that he has less than 30 seconds before his father makes it into his room. 

Fuck it, he decides; if he jumps out the window and doesn't make it, that's fine by him. He would rather die then and there than stay in this hell hole with his abusive father any longer. Besides, if he stays in here his father will probably beat him to death anyways. He walks over to the window, looking down at the ground, swallowing loudly. 

He almost backs out, until he hears the desk crashing to the ground as his father pushes the door open. Luke jumps down fearfully, hitting the ground hard, rolling over a few times before coming to a stop. He can hear his father yelling in his room, but he doesn't pay attention to what he's saying. He stands on shaky legs, adrenaline pumping through his veins. He runs without looking back, paying no mind to where he's headed, as long as it's away from his house he could care less. 

His feet pound on the sidewalk, and briefly, he wonders why he doesn't feel pain from his socked feet hitting the pavement harshly. By the time the blonde boy looks up he must have run for miles, he feels like their are flames in his lungs, licking their way up out of his throat. His legs ache, and they wont stop shaking. He feels as if he could collapse any second. 

Glancing around, he sees that he's outside of a small forest, and it's almost peaceful to be surrounded by all these trees. 

Luke decides to walk through the forest, liking the idea of being hidden by the trees, safe from prying eyes. He walks through the maze of trees mindlessly, admiring the flowers and plants that he sees as he slowly carries on. He glances up and sees a clearing ahead, and he walks towards it curiously. 

The blonde boy makes his way to the clearing, eyes widening when he looks around. Although it's very simple, he can't help but be in awe at the beauty of the place. He looks up at the night sky, seeing all the stars through the break in the trees. The clearing is full of purple flowers, and there's even a small pond. 

Luke lies down on the bed of flowers gingerly, not wanting to disturb them too much. As he lays there, the events of the night finally catch up to him, and he felt like all his emotions hit him like a tidal wave. Luke rolls onto his side, curling in on himself and having what feels like a well deserved cry. He wishes that his life didn't have to be like this, wishes that he wasn't stuck with his drunken father, and a deadbeat mother than he's never even met. Maybe then he would actually be normal, maybe then he would talk to people and make friends. He just wants to feel loved for once, like he's actually needed.


	2. My Heart Wants To Come Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, here's another chapter :). Thank you to everyone who commented and left kudos, you're all wonderful people. Updates should be pretty frequent, but not always daily. I hope you enjoy! xx (Title is from Beside You by the one and only 5 Seconds of Summer.)

Michael sighs contently as he approaches the forest; even just seeing the outside of the trees calms his racing mind. He found this place right after his parents' accident, when he was just so lost, and ever since then it's been a place where he can organize his thoughts. It makes him feel like he's far away from the world and all it's problems. 

Just as the blue haired boy approaches the clearing he stops abruptly, wondering if he's hearing things. He listens closely, realizing that he's hearing quiet sobs, coming from a small blonde boy laying in the middle of the clearing. He's confused, and concerned for this stranger. He's never seen another person here, so he has no idea how this boy found it, or why he would be here at this time, it had to be at least midnight by now. The boy is so caught up in his crying fit that he hasn't even noticed Michael standing there; he just continues to break down, curling further into himself, shivering in the chilly night breeze. 

Michael doesn't want to scare the boy, he looks fragile as it is. He walks into the clearly slowly, trying to speak as gently as he can, “hey, are you okay?” 

The boy flinches, shooting up into a sitting position, whipping around to face Michael. His heart breaks at the sight; this boy looks so fragile, he has a large bruise on his jaw, and there's a small cut on his lip leaking blood. His eyes are filled with tears, and his lip quivers as he regards Michael fearfully.

He shakes his head slowly, another broken sob slipping past his lips. Michael attempts to come closer to him, but the blonde boy starts scooting backwards, as if he's going to hurt him. 

“I'm not going to hurt you, I promise,” Michael starts towards him again, and the boy stays put this time. He shrugs off his jacket, offering it to the blonde, who is still shivering violently. He takes it cautiously, still looking terrified. Michael gently sits in front of him, while still keeping enough distance to avoid scaring the boy. 

Michael has been avoiding people for a while, so he is unsure of how to approach this situation. “You can tell me what happened, you know? Or not, that's fine too. I don't want to pressure you; it looks like you've been through enough.” He speaks cautiously, nervous about making the boy's situation even worse than it already is. 

The blonde boy shifts awkwardly, seeming to be contemplating answering Michael. Finally, he reaches into his pocket, pulling out an iPhone and typing on it quickly. He looks up through his eyelashes at Michael shyly, handing him the phone carefully. 

Michael looks down at it, confused as to why the boy couldn't simply tell Michael was was wrong out loud. 'I don't talk, I'm mute. My name is Luke... I came here to get away from my dad.' Michael's eyes widened in realization, and he immediately felt sympathy for this boy, it seems like he's been through a lot of shit that he didn't deserve. 

Michael studies the bruises littering the boy's perfect face, and he guesses that these aren't the only bruises on his milky white skin. His heart breaks as he wonders why someone would want to do this to someone so pretty, especially his own father. The boy continues to look at the ground, refusing to meet Michael's eyes as he thinks carefully about what he should say next. 

“Did he do this to you, Luke?... Oh, and my name is Michael, but you can call me Mikey if you like.” Michael cringes at how awkward he sounds, and he really wishes that he wasn't so anti-social so that he would actually have people skills. 

Luke finally looks up, meeting Michael's eyes cautiously. He nods slowly, eyes filling with tears again, one spilling over and falling down his cheek. Without thinking, Michael reaches out and wipes the tear with his thumb. He doesn't know why, usually he avoids touching people at all costs, but for whatever reason he feels extremely protective over Luke already. He just looks like he needs someone to love him; he looks broken. Luke flinches when Michael's thumb touches his face, as if he's going to hit him or something, and it makes Michael's blood boil. He honestly wants to kill the person who broke this boy into so many pieces; he just hopes that he can pick them back up. 

Michael is startled out of his thoughts by the loud sob that escapes Luke's mouth. He watches the boy curl in on himself again, bringing his knees to his chest and burying his face in them. He surprises himself as well as Luke when he reaches out, pulling the boy to his chest, attempting to shield him from the world and all the pain it has caused him. 

The blonde boy stiffens at first, but eventually relaxes into Michael's arms. He hides his face in the blue haired boy's chest, and Michael can't help but silently coo at how adorable the boy is. Luke shifts slightly, and at this point he's basically in Michael's lap, but he's strangely okay with that; he would do anything to make the fragile boy comfortable at this point. 

A few minutes pass before Michael hears Luke's breathing slow down and even out, and he's pretty sure that the blonde boy had fallen asleep right there in his arms. He almost laughs when he thinks about the dramatic turn that his night took, but he thinks that this could be a good thing, for both him and Luke. He wants to try to help the blonde boy, and he thinks that maybe he could help Michael too, because despite his fear of love, Michael feels like he could learn to love this boy. 

He stands up gently, and he feels Luke cling to him tighter instinctively, wrapping his arms around Michael's waist and tightening his grip around his neck. Michael begins walking back towards his car, noticing how unusually light Luke is, becoming even more concerned for the boy. Luke shifts, nuzzling his head into the crook of Michael's neck, his hot breath fanning over Michael's skin. 

Michael balances Luke's weight in one arm as he reaches into his pocket for his keys, fishing them out and pressing the unlock button. He doesn't want to wake the boy, but he has no idea how else he's going to get him into the car safely given their current position. 

“Lukey, it's time to wake up.” He speaks gently, running his fingers up and down Luke's spine in what he hopes to be a soothing motion. He feels him stir in his arms, shaking his head, his cold nose rubbing against Michael's skin. 

“I'm going to let you down now, okay? You can sleep as much as you want once we get back to my house.” Michael keeps his tone soft, still afraid of scaring the boy off. Luke loosens his grip on Michael, sliding his legs down so that he's on his own two feet. Once Luke is standing in front of him, Michael realizes that he is in fact taller than Michael, which is confusing considering how small and fragile he makes himself look. His long legs are clad in skin tight black jeans, just like Michael, and his large hoodie is a plain grey colour. He frowns when he sees that the boy isn't wearing shoes, his feet simply covered in a pair of dirty black socks. 

Deciding he can fix the boy up once they get back to his apartment, Michael walks around Luke to open his door, smiling as he rubs his eyes with the sleeves of his oversized hoodie.

After he sits down in the passenger seat and buckles his seat belt, Michael shuts the door gingerly, walking around to the drivers side. He takes a deep breath before he gets in, wondering what he has got himself into.


	3. We Can Live Like Jack and Sally if We Want

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the third chapter! Warning: it contains ridiculous amounts of fluff, proceed with caution. ;) (Title is from I Miss You by Blink 182, such an iconic song.)

Michael grips the steering wheel tightly, glancing over at Luke nervously. The blonde boy is curled up on his side with his back facing Michael, peering out the passenger side window. The blue haired boy turns his eyes back to the road, hand reaching for the radio, pressing play on the last CD that he had in there. 

Michael even catches himself off guard when Blink 182 begins playing far too loudly. He sees Luke jump in his seat, startled by the sudden noise. He winces as he turns the radio down quickly, “sorry, I didn't realize it was that loud...” Michael mumbles, hoping that he didn't scare Luke too much. 

He glances over at the boy, relieved when he smiles at him gently, as if to say 'it's okay.' Michael smiles back, a genuine smile, unlike the fake smiles he usually gives out. 

The older boy hums quietly when I Miss You comes on, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel as he turns onto his street. “We can live like Jack and Sally if we want, where you can always find me, and we'll have Halloween on Christmas. And in the night we'll wish this never ends, we'll wish this never ends.” Michael sings along mindlessly, pulling into the driveway of his apartment building and parking the car carefully.

He takes the keys out of the ignition, turning to Luke, only to realize that he's already looking at him, eyes open and innocent. “Are you ready to go in?” Michael sends a soft smile to Luke, wanting him to know that he means no harm, that he's going to take care of him. “We can get you cleaned up and into some warm clothes?” 

Luke nods slightly, wondering how a stranger could be so kind to him when his own father has shown him nothing but hatred. He sighs, turning to open the door, climbing out of the car. 

Michael steps out of his side, closing the door quietly and pressing the lock button on his keys. He walks over to Luke, grabbing his hand gently and threading their fingers together. Luke looks down and their intertwined hands curiously, but follows the blue haired boy when he tugs him forward, leading him to the stairs. 

Michael climbs the first step before he realizes that the blonde boy isn't following him, turning back around to look at him questioningly. Luke is biting his lip nervously, looking at Michael with pleading eyes. 

It then dawns on him that Luke is probably in a lot of pain, and the idea of climbing all the stairs that it will take to get to Michael's third story apartment does not sound very appealing. “Do you want me to carry you up the stairs? It's a long way up to my apartment...” Michael watches as Luke sighs with relief, nodding eagerly. 

He considers offering Luke a piggyback ride, but decides that the boy might have a hard time jumping up onto his back given his current position. He opts for instead sweeping him up bridal style, starting up the stairs once Luke has a tight grip around his neck.

Luke is thankful that Michael didn't make him walk, unsure of how he would have managed all these stairs. At this point, his legs feel like they weigh a thousand pounds, and he doesn't think he has ever felt this exhausted. 

When the older boy reaches the top he goes to set Luke down, but the blonde boy clings onto him tighter, pressing his face into Michael's neck. He breathes in Michael's scent, wondering why he feels so comforted by it when he's only just met the kind blue haired boy. 

Honestly, Luke never wants to let go of Michael, because he feels safer in his arms already than he has felt in years. Michael smiles, holding him up with one arm and unlocking the door with the other, carrying the boy into his small apartment. 

He closes the door, tossing his keys on the table next to it. He doesn't even bother taking his shoes off, heading straight to the bathroom and setting Luke down on the counter. He studies his face carefully, examining the cut on his lip closely, deciding that it was nothing too serious.

When Michael pulls back, he's looking directly into Luke's eyes, noticing that they're the most gorgeous blue colour he's ever seen. “Your eyes are beautiful.” The words seem to tumble out of Michael's mouth, he didn't mean to voice his thoughts out loud, but he also doesn't regret it when he sees the blush that brings colour to Luke's pale cheeks. 

Luke looks down shyly, peering up at Michael through his lashes once again. Michael backs away, crouching down so that he can reach the cupboard under his bathroom sink, pulling out the first-aid kit so he can attempt to clean Luke up. 

He grabs an alcohol wipe, opening the package carefully. He brings it up to Luke's face slowly, “this is going to sting, I'm so sorry, but we don't want it to get infected.” The blonde haired boy nods, taking a deep breath as Michael touches the wipe to his lip gently. 

Luke whimpers, “I'm sorry... It'll feel better once it's cleaned.” Michael tries to be soothing, rubbing his hand up and down Luke's arm softly. 

Luke is once again shocked at how much this boy seems to genuinely care about his well-being. He is so thankful that out of all people, Michael found him lying in that clearing, and he really believes that this boy might be exactly the person he needs in order to turn his life around.

Michael leans in closer, grabbing Luke's chin in his fingers gently, pulling his lower lip down with his thumb for better access. Once the blood is gone, he sees that the cut isn't all that bad, but he still can't help the anger that burns through him at the thought of someone hurting this poor boy. 

He finishes up, tossing the wipe in the trash can beside the sink, and returns the first aid kit to the cupboard. He grabs a wash cloth and reaches over Luke to turn the tap on, soaking the cloth with nice warm water to wash the dirt and grime off the fragile boy's face. 

Luke sighs contently when the warm, damp cloth touches his face, feeling so much better already. Michael brings the cloth across the boy's forehead lightly, wiping it clean, making sure that he gets all the dirt off. He's extra careful as he glides the cloth over the younger boy's bruised jaw, “ I'm almost done.” He grabs Luke's hand with his free one and squeezes it, voice trailing off as he concentrates on getting the last of the dirt off Luke's porcelain skin. 

Michael tosses the cloth on the ground gently, deciding that he can put it in the hamper later. “Come on, let's get you some clean clothes.” He tugs on the hand he's holding gently. 

However, Michael turns to walk out and towards his bedroom, Luke pulls him back. The blue haired boy turns around, confused until Luke stretches out his arms, making grabby hands at the Michael. The older boy is certain that it's simply not fair for one person to be so adorable, and it makes him feel warm and fuzzy inside that Luke trusts him enough to want to be close to him, regardless of the fact that they just met. He feels especially honoured because Luke seems to have experienced a lot betrayal in the past, yet he still feels like the other boy is already putting so much trust into Michael, like he's known from the start that Michael has nothing but good intentions for the younger boy. 

Michael walks back over to where Luke is perched on the counter top, stepping between his legs so that he can wrap them around his waist, his arms clinging to Michael's neck tightly.

Luke sighs deeply, seemingly content as Michael lifts him of the counter carefully, walking out of the bathroom, crossing the short distance into his bedroom. 

Once inside the room, Michael reaches for the light switch blindly, flicking it on when he finds it. He walks over to the bed slowly, placing Luke down on it and turning to grab the boy some fresh warm clothes. He scans his closet, opting for a Green Day sweater and some plain black sweat pants. He passes by his dresser too, grabbing clean socks to replace the muddy ones. He even picks out some ridiculous underwear with burgers on them, hoping to make the blonde boy smile. 

He turns back to Luke once he's finished, handing him the pile of clothes and flashing him a reassuring smile. “I'll leave the room so that you can get dressed.” He steps away from the boy as he speaks, and when Luke looks up, Michael is already out the door, shutting it carefully so that it doesn't make a loud noise that might startle the younger boy. 

Luke looks down at the clothes in his his hands, standing up slowly and peeling his sweaty shirt off of his body. He examines the bruises scattered along his torso, thankful that this is the worst of the damage, especially considering the number of kicks that he received from his father. 

Michael's clothes fall loosely on Luke's thin frame, but the feeling of being swallowed up by one of Michael's sweaters is one that Luke enjoys. 

He smiles when he sees the Green Day logo; they're one of his favourite bands of all time. He glances at the door nervously, deciding to go find Michael so that he knows Luke is finished getting dressed. 

Oddly enough, even though he just met the boy, Luke feels like he can trust him, and he even considers eventually talking to Michael. Although no one seemed to care about what he had to say in the past, Luke can already tell that Michael is different. The younger boy also feels like Michael deserves a full explanation about his past, considering all that he's already done for him. He decides to work towards opening up to Michael, taking this step-by-step until he feels like the moment is right. 

Luke steps out of Michael's room quietly, eyes scanning around the tiny apartment. The bedroom is across from the bathroom that they were in previously, and to the right is a small living room. The room has a black couch leaning up against the wall shared with the bathroom, and a decent sized flat screen tv sitting on a tv stand against the opposite wall. Luke walks into the room slowly, turning his gaze to the wall directly to his right, where there is a large shelf stacked full of CDs. He walks up to them, admiring Michael's taste in music; it mirrors his own. 

Luke runs his fingers over a Blink CD, jumping when he hears Michael's voice coming from close behind him. “That one's my favourite,” Michael nods his head towards the CD Luke was just touching. 

Luke smiles at him shyly, glancing over to the left of the shelf and seeing a guitar. Michael follows his gaze and smiles, “do you play?” 

Luke's head turns at Michael's question, and he hesitates before nodding slightly, biting his lip. Michael's eyes brighten instantly, and he wonders how Luke can be this perfect. Music is the most important thing in his life, and he's glad that it's something that he can share with Luke. 

“Do you want me to play for you?” He grins at Luke a little shyly, which confuses him because he's not usually a shy person, even if he chooses to be anti-social. Luke's head shoots up, and he nods at Michael eagerly, a smile forming on his face. 

Michael grabs his guitar off the stand, taking a pick from the bowl on the coffee table, motioning for Luke to come over and sit in front of him. Luke sits criss cross on the floor, propping his elbows on his knees and resting his chin in his hands, and the older boy grins at the way Luke's hands are lost in the sleeves of his oversized sweater. Michael can't stop smiling, the blonde boy just does the cutest things without even realizing it. 

He clears his throat finally, strumming the opening to 'I Miss You' softly, “Hello there, the angel from my nightmare, the shadow in the background of the morgue.” Michael's voice rings through the empty apartment, and Luke's jaw drops, in awe of the boy's talent. His voice is perfect, in Luke's opinion. In fact, he thinks it's his new favourite sound. 

When the chorus comes around, Luke begins to hum along quietly, knowing the lyrics of this song like the back of his hand. Michael's head shoots up, as the mute boy's humming catches him off guard, but he just continues as if nothing happened, smiling as he sings. 

Michael finishes off the song softly, “I miss you, I miss you...” He looks at the blonde haired boy as he strums the last chord, happiness bubbling in his chest when he sees a wide, genuine smile on Luke's face. He could definitely get used to having him around.


	4. My Breathing Gets Faster and So Does my Heartbeat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is from Nightmare by Set It Off. Let me know what you think in the comments? xx

Michael stood up from his spot on the couch, walking back to the guitar stand and placing the instrument on it carefully. When he turns back around, he sees the blonde boy stifle a yawn with the sleeves of his hoodie, and he decides that it's time to go to bed; the younger boy must be completely drained. 

He walks over to the linen closet, pulling out a blanket, which he then shakes out and drapes over the couch. “I'll sleep on the couch, you can take my bed.” He watches the hesitation come across Luke's face, but in the end, the blonde boy decides not to argue; Michael would have insisted anyways.

Michael holds out his hand for Luke to take, and when he does, he pulls the younger boy up so that he's back on his feet again. He leads him into his room, pulling back the covers on his bed so that Luke can climb under them. Luke cuddles up under the blankets, sighing contently at the way Michael's scent clings to the fabric of the sheets. Michael squeezes his hand one last time before he backs away, turning around and walking out the door quietly.

Once Michael is back in the living room he sighs in relief. He's so thankful that he was the one to find this boy, and he shudders at the idea of someone else finding him, someone who might not treat the blonde boy as well as he would like to. Even worse is the idea of Luke's father finding him, just thinking about it gives Michael the chills. He decides that he's going to make sure that Luke's father never hurts him again, regardless of what it takes to keep him safe. 

The older boy glances at the clock, seeing that it's now approaching three in the morning. He strips off his shirt and tight skinny jeans, tossing them somewhere in the room mindlessly and sliding under the blanket on the couch, thankful to finally be laying down after the long day that he had. He's so glad that he doesn't have to work tomorrow, because he's not sure that he would be able to handle another long shift with only a few hours of sleep. 

Alex doesn't have many other employees at the moment, and he's struggling to make ends meet with the restaurant. Michael owes so much to the older boy, he's done so much for him over the past year, and he honestly loves Alex like a big brother. The blue haired boy hopes that Alex can find some more employees soon, because he would hate to see him lose the restaurant, he knows that it would break the boy's heart.

Michael closes his eyes finally, attempting to quiet his restless mind. He drifts off quickly after that, he exhaustion from the day finally catching up to him. 

...

It's several hours later when Michael stirs, blinking into consciousness slowly. His mind is groggy, and he's confused as to why he woke up. It's then that he hears the screams coming from his bedroom, and he shoots up immediately, legs swinging off the bed, his bare feet touching the shaggy carpet. He pauses for a minute, listening closely to make sure that he wasn't just hearing things. 

The noise starts up again, but this time it's loud sobs echoing through the apartment. Michael rises to his feet immediately, rushing into his room to see what has the younger boy so distressed. 

He peers into the room carefully, not wanting to intrude, and what he sees breaks his already shattered heart into even more pieces. Luke is thrashing around in the bed, caught up in what appears to be a vicious nightmare. Michael approaches the bed slowly, hesitating for a moment before reaching a hand out and touching Luke's shoulder gingerly, giving it a gentle shake in an attempt to wake the younger boy up. 

Luke's eyes shoot open, and he sits up quickly, his breathing still loud and panicked. He wraps his arms around his knees, burying his face into them and sobbing uncontrollably once again. Michael can feel tears burning in the back of his eyes at the thought that this boy can't even find peace in his sleep, because although he's far away from his father, the images that the bastard has drilled into Luke's head are still with him. 

He sits down on the bed, pulling the younger boy into his arms. Luke finds comfort in Michael's touch, immediately moving closer to the older boy. He sobs into his chest, tears soaking Michael's skin. Michael rubs his back gently, trying to calm the boy down and bring his breathing back to normal. 

“It was just a dream, it wasn't real, I'm here now.” Michael continues to whisper comforting words into the boy's soft blonde hair, pressing a kiss to his head as he rocks them back and forth slowly. He waits as the boy's sobs quiet down, his breathing eventually returning back to normal. 

Michael kisses Luke's head once more, “alright, why don't we lay down now, I can stay in here if you like?” Luke nods eagerly, thankful that the older boy was with him to calm him down, it made the nightmare a lot more bearable than they usually are. 

Michael lays his body down and Luke follows, snuggling up to Michael's chest, reaching for his hand. Michael smiles gently at the boy, grabbing the blanket and pulling it over their bodies. He pulls Luke a little bit closer before closing his eyes, allowing sleep to take over once again. 

...

When Luke opens his eyes the next morning, the first thing he notices is the way the sunlight pours through the cracks in the curtains, illuminating Michael's face. He admires the blue haired boy's beauty, wondering how he ever got so lucky. The kindness that Michael has shown him is something that Luke can never repay him for. 

Luke glances at the clock, seeing that it's already noon. He hasn't slept that long in years, and honestly, he feels so much better now that he's well rested.

Michael stirs slightly, his eyes finally opening, his gaze immediately falling on Luke. The blue eyed boy notices how pretty Michael's eyes are, a stunning combination of several shades of green. He finds them captivating, deciding that he would stare into them forever if he could. 

Michael grins at the blonde boy, “morning sunshine.” The older boy's voice comes out rough and raspy, and Luke can't get over how amazing his morning voice sounds. 

Michael turns on his back, stretching his arms above his head and tossing the covers off of his body. Luke blushes when he realizes that the green eyed boy is almost naked, save for a tight pair of black briefs. He failed to notice this last night, too panicked to even think about anything else after his chilling nightmare. 

His nightmares are always far too vivid, and he shivers just thinking about how real it felt when his father pushed him up against a wall, yelling about how he's just a worthless faggot. Those are words that he's heard thousands of times, but still every time he feels them cut deep; he doesn't think anyone could ever get used to being called those kinds of names. 

Michael's voice startles Luke out of his thoughts, and he instead focuses on the beautiful boy in front of him. “Do you want to make pancakes? We can even put chocolate chips in them?” Michael's cheeky smile has Luke grinning like a fool, as if anyone would ever say no to the blue haired boy, he's far too adorable to resist. 

Luke stands up from the bed, following Michael into his small kitchen. Michael saunters over to the cupboard, grabbing the pancake mix excitedly. As he reaches up to the top shelf, Luke can't help but admire his body. He finds it very distracting that Michael has chosen to just stay in his boxers, and he has to force himself to look away before he gets caught staring. 

The older boy presses play on a small radio, Green Day's American Idiot flowing through the shitty speakers. He spins around to the fridge, grabbing out milk, eggs, and chocolate chips. Michael assembles all the ingredients on the counter, turning to Luke when he's finished, a proud smile on his face. Luke can't help the smile that spreads across his face, the fact that Michael is this excited over making pancakes is just so endearing.

The older boy turns to Luke, motioning for him to come over. “You're not going to let me make these pancakes by myself, are you?” His tone is teasing, and Luke shakes his head, walking over to him.

Michael shuffles past Luke, pulling a measuring cup out of the cupboard, “welcome to a new kind of tension, all across the alienation.” The blue haired boy starts dancing really badly, making his way around the kitchen, coming up with some of the most ridiculous dance moves Luke has ever seen.

He makes his way over to Luke,“dance with me?” Michael hold out his hand for Luke to take, even going as far as giving him puppy dog eyes. The shy boy hesitates at first, but then caves, deciding that it could be a lot of fun. 

Luke was right, and as Michael spins him around room, he can't help the small giggle that pushes past his lips. He knows he should probably be surprised, he hasn't laughed since long before he stopped talking, but he's far too caught up in the moment to pay any mind to it. 

The giggly only encourages Michael, and he smiles proudly at the fact that slowly but surely, he's breaking the fragile boy's shell. He's still concerned about the boy's past, and he wants to know exactly what his father did in order to traumatize the boy so much that he's even plagued by images of him in his sleep. He hopes that one day Luke will tell him the whole story, and he also hopes that his bastard of a father ends up in jail, because Michael can already tell that he deserves it. 

Regardless of how badly he wants to know these things, Michael knows not to push the blonde boy. He wants him to feel completely comfortable, so he can tell Michael because he wants to, not because he feels that he has to. 

He clears his head of the worrying thoughts, focusing instead on the happy boy in front of him. “Alright,” Michael smiles widely, pulling Luke back towards the counter where the ingredients are, “let's get going on these pancakes.”  
After 5 pancakes each and 3 whole Disney movies, Michael notices the sun beginning to set, it's orange light pouring through the windows and giving the room a soft glow. He worries about the fragile boy, knowing that he has an 8 hour shift to work the next day, meaning that they boy will be in Michael's apartment all alone. The older boy hopes that if he leaves him with enough movies to stay occupied he'll be okay.


	5. Take a Breath and Let the Rest Come Easy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry if these first few chapters haven't been all that exciting, I have big plans for this fic, and I want to make sure I set the setting well and don't rush the beginning so that the characters are all well developed and such. The next chapter is going to be a big one, so stay tuned ;). I'm going to try to write and post it tomorrow if i have time, if not I'll definitely have it up Monday. Anyways, I'm done rambling. (P.S. I'm sure that the restaurant name is already the name of many existing restaurants but that's why it's fanfiction. It was hard to find a rock themed name that wasn't taken.) Oh, and title is from Dear Maria Count Me In by All Time Low.

Michael wakes up with a smile on his face the next morning, admiring Luke's sleeping form beside him. He grins when he thinks back to the night before, how cute and shy Luke was when he asked Michael if he would sleep with him again, even if he was just typing it out on his phone. Michael obviously obliged, more than willing to do anything in his power to make the fragile boy more comfortable. 

He rises from the bed slowly, making his way out of the room. He doesn't want to wake the boy from his peaceful slumber; he can tell that a good nights sleep is not something the younger boy comes across often. 

He rubs at the sleep in his eyes as he walks into the bathroom, cringing when he turns the light on and it illuminates the room, far too bright at this time in the morning. In all honestly, it probably wasn't even considered that early, but for Michael, anything before 10:00am is absolutely dreadful. 

He peers at his reflection, his green eyes look tired, but he still notices the way they seem to twinkle with something unrecognizable to Michael. He briefly wonders if the mysterious light in his eyes is simply due to the immense happiness that he feels, as it is something that Michael hasn't felt in a long time. In fact, the last time that Michael can recall being truly happy felt even more distant that it actually was. 

Despite the fact that his parents accident was only about a year ago, Michael felt like it had been so much longer; he was a completely different person then. The face that stared back at him now would have been unrecognizable to the Michael that he was just a year ago; all dirty blonde hair and innocent eyes, pale unmarked skin holding what seemed to be the permanent glow of happiness. He thinks about how much things have changed as he examines his dyed blue hair, the black eyebrow piercing a sharp contrast to his light skin, as well as the ebony tattoos that are littered here and there. 

Although the accident was tragic, breaking Michael's heart into so many pieces, he likes to think that everything happens for a reason, and that maybe Luke was the reason behind that event. If it wasn't for the accident, Michael would have never found the clearing in which he first met Luke, and he knows that if he wasn't there to save the blonde boy, things would not be looking up for Luke right now. 

Michael focuses back on the room in front of him, remembering that he has a job to attend. He turns on the bathroom tap, splashing cold water over his face to wake himself up. Sauntering back over to the bedroom, he grabs a random hoodie and some jeans, changing into them as quietly as he can. He has a clean uniform in a backpack that he takes to work, and honestly, Michael actually thinks that his work uniforms are pretty cool. The shirts are just plain black t-shirts with the restaurant's logo on the front, but the backs have different lyrics on them from classic rock songs, since the restaurant is called the Rack and Roll Cafe.

Michael is actually really glad that of all places he works there, they play good music and a lot of cool people come in regularly. Music is the best way for Michael to relate to someone, so having customers come through with good music taste makes his life a lot easier. 

After situating all his things for work, the blue haired boy stumbles over to the coffee machine, eager to get some caffeine into his system so he feels less like the living dead. He sets up the machine, putting the coffee and filter in and pressing the start button. He sighs contently as the smell of coffee fills the room, already feeling a bit better. 

As the coffee brews Michael begins rummaging through the fridge, trying to find some breakfast for him and Luke, wanting to make sure that the boy at least gets some decent food before Michael leaves for his long shift. He decides on eggs and bacon, grabbing the items out of the fridge and setting to work.

Once he's finished with his coffee finally in his hands, he glances at the clock, seeing that it's already 10:15am. He starts his shift in 45 minutes, and he knows that Alex won't be pleased if he shows up late. 

He quietly makes his way back into the bedroom, sitting on the edge of the bed gently, smiling softly at the peaceful look on Luke's face once more before deciding that it's finally time to wake him up. He rubs the blonde boy's back, “Luke, Lukeee.” Michael coos at the boy gently, the admiration in his voice very clear. He wonders for a second if he should be scared by how fast he's falling for the fragile blonde boy, but dismisses the thought just as quickly as it appeared. Luke needs someone who he can learn to trust, someone who deserves the trust and won't betray him, and Michael is determined to be that person.

Luke blinks his beautiful blue eyes open slowly, grinning when he sees the older boy sitting beside him. “Morning sunshine.” Michael's tone is far too bright for the morning, and the fond smile is still on his face. 

“I have to work soon, I really don't want to go, but unfortunately I need to pay the bills somehow.” Michael sighs, reaching out to brush the younger boy's cheekbone with his thumb, wishing he could make the disappointment on Luke's face disappear. “I left some Disney movies out for you, and there's eggs and bacon waiting on the table,” Michael can hear disappointment in his own voice; He really doesn't want to leave the blonde boy. 

Although disappointed, Luke nods slightly, letting Michael know that he understands. Michael hates the look on the fragile boy's face, deciding that it needs to be changed immediately. He leans in quickly, fingers dancing over Luke's sides, tickling the boy playfully. Luke can't help the laughter that bubbles up in his chest, spilling out of his mouth as he fights for breath, laughing more than he thinks he ever has before.

Michael stops after a few seconds, not wanting to torture the blonde boy. He's also laughing, happy just to see the blonde boy smiling and giggling so much. “Alright, I have to leave now, but I'll be home around 7:00pm tonight, okay?” Michael's tone is filled with longing, and he really wishes that he could stay locked up in his apartment with the younger boy forever. 

Luke sighs in defeat, nodding sadly. “I'll be back as soon as I can,” Michael leans down, kissing Luke's forehead gently before standing up and leaving the room, stopping in the doorway to give him one last smile. Luke can feel his cheeks heating up from the kiss that Michael gave him, even if it was just a smile goodbye kiss on his forehead. The older boy has already managed to make Luke feel so wanted, and damn, is it a good feeling. 

Michael pulls into the driveway of the restaurant with 10 minutes to spare before his shift, feeling quite accomplished. He swings the door open, taking in the familiar white and black tiles, red leather booths, and walls covered with band posters and beautiful vinyls. 

The blue haired boy is immediately greeted by Alex, “wow Mikey, nice to see your lazy ass on time for once.” Michael grins, shoving the older brunette boy lightly as he passes by him, heading to the office in the back. He slips out of his clothes quickly, replacing them with his uniform. Today, the back of his shirt has lyrics from Come As You Are by Nirvana. 

He saunters back out to the front counter, tying his apron as he goes. He knows that the Lunch rush will be coming soon. The restaurant isn't far from a local college, and the students like to come grab a quick burger and milkshake between classes. He stands beside Alex, leaning against the counter and staring out the front window mindlessly. 

“So, how was your day off? Oh and thanks again for closing up the other night man, this week has been crazy,” Alex mumbles, his attention focused on some paperwork in front of him. Michael hopes that this will keep him from realizing that he's hiding something, because he knows that if Alex was paying full attention he'd catch the younger boy in his lie right away. 

“It was good... uneventful,” Michael almost laughs at the obvious lie, cringing because he knows that Alex is going to realize something is up, even if he wasn't watching the younger boy's face in order to see the dishonesty.

Alex pulls his head up from where it was bent down examining paperwork, a cocky smirk plastered on his face. Michael wants to slap it right off, he sees that expression on the older boy's face far too often. “Oh really? Uneventful?” Alex's tone is taunting and Michael glares, annoyed that he literally can't let anything slip past the boy, but also kind of relieved because he needs to tell someone what happened, he feels like it will help him sort out his thoughts.

“Alright, alright. I'll tell you, but Alex?” The older boy looks at Michael then, his face turning from teasing to serious when he hears the hesitation in Michael's tone. “You have to really promise not to repeat any of what I'm telling you, it's not something to poke fun at.” Michael looks into Alex's eyes, seeing nothing but genuine concern in them. 

“Of course buddy, what's running through that head of yours?” Alex turns to Michael, waiting for him to continue, his mind racing with thoughts of what could be wrong with the younger boy. Alex honestly loves Michael to pieces, he literally thinks of him as his little brother, and it concerns him to hear that something serious has caused Michael to look this worried. 

Michael clears his throat, eyebrows pulling together in concentration as he tries to think of the best way to approach this. He decides to just speak his mind, knowing that once he's finished Alex will have some kind of advice for him. 

“Alright,” Michael starts off, wringing his fingers nervously. “So basically, last night I went to the clearing...” Michael pauses again, looking up at Alex, only to find the older boy nodding in understanding. Alex knew about this place, knew that Michael went there as an escape from reality when the outside world simply became too much for the blue haired boy to handle. 

 

Michael cleared his throat, finally continuing, “well I was there after my last shift, and when I got there there was this boy,” the blue haired boy takes a deep breath before continuing on.“Honestly Alex, he looked so broken.” Michael can feel the tears burning in his eyes, and he fights to keep his composure, knowing that he needs to just get all of this out so he can sort through everything calmly. 

He risks a glance up at Alex, and sees the brunette's eyebrows drawn together in concern. The older boy nods at Michael gently, encouraging him to continue on. “He's mute, so I still haven't got the full story, but his father hits him,” Michael chokes then, but continues on nonetheless, knowing that he needs to get these words out. 

“So I took him home, I had to.” Michael's gaze wanders back to the brunette boy's eyes, and he closes his own as he speaks, “I think... I think im falling in love with him. It's only been a couple of days, but I just feel like he was silently screaming out for help when I found him. I want to try to fix him.” 

Michael sighs once he's finished, glad to get that off his chest finally. Alex smiles at him fondly, clearing his throat as he prepares to try and give the younger boy reassurance. “Honestly Mikey, I know it sounds cliche and all, but I can already tell how gone you are for him just by listening to you talk about him. What you did, it probably saved this boy's life, and I'm sure that he loves you too already.”

Michael looks up at Alex, grinning at him, “I hope so,” he mumbles, eyes falling to the floor. His head shoots up when he hears the bell on the door go off, signalling the start of lunch chaos. Alex winks at him before turning to the customer who just walked up to the counter, and Michael can already tell that this day is going to be a busy one. 

...

Michael almost cries from happiness when he looks up from wiping down his last table, seeing that his shift is finally over and he can go back home to Luke. He rushes to the back, changing into his clothes faster than ever before, calling a quick goodbye to Alex as he jogs past him and out the door. The older boy watches Michael go, a huge smile on his face. He really thinks that this could be a good thing for Michael, that this mute boy is exactly what he needs in order to mend his broken heart.


	6. I Can't Drown my Demons They Know How to Swim

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope that this chapter is good, please let me know your thoughts when you finish reading it? I would really like feedback on this one because I'm nervous about it. (title is from Can You Feel My Heart by Bring Me The Horizon) ALSO, there is a mention of self harm, so if you are easily triggered, please don't read it. Stay safe and stay strong. xx

Luke is curled up on Michael's couch, snuggled into the blanket that he is currently wrapped up in, the same one that Michael had abandoned a couple nights ago when he was sleeping on the couch.

He inhales deeply, the older boy's scent keeping Luke calm, and he decides that it's a mixture of mint and the leather smell that always clings to the older boy even if he isn't wearing his leather jacket.

Luke jumps out of his thoughts when he hears the door handle rattling, perking up when he realizes that the blue haired boy is finally home.

When Michael gets the door open he sighs gratefully, thankful to be back in his cozy apartment for the night. He doesn't even see the blonde boy on the couch when he walks through the door, so he's startled when Luke suddenly launches himself into the older boy's arms, stumbling back a little. “Hey Lukey,” Michael chuckles softly, burying his face in the boy's soft blonde locks.

The younger boy's body is radiating waves of 'I missed you' as he buries his face in Michael's chest, even if he doesn't say it aloud. Michael picks him up gently, carrying them over to the couch so they can cuddle up there.

Once they're situated under the warm blanket, Michael on his back and Luke sprawled out on top of him, the younger boy sighs contently, seemingly pleased. “How was your day, babe?” Michael questions softly, hoping that the younger boy wasn't too lonely here without him.

Luke hesitates before shrugging sadly, and he doesn't need to tell Michael that he wishes that he was here, the older boy can already tell as he gazes into those ocean blue eyes. “Well I'm here now,” Michael mumbles, instinctively pulling the blonde boy closer.

The two boys remain there for a while, just enjoying each others presence, before Michael finally speaks up. “I need to shower, and I bet that you would like one too, right? It might make you feel better to be nice and clean,” Michael speaks softly, not wanting to disturb the calm air surrounding them. For some reason, he thinks he may have felt Luke flinch at the mention of a shower, but he dismisses it, writing it off as him just worrying too much about the blonde boy.

Michael untangles himself from Luke grudgingly, annoyed at the fact that showering means more time away from the blonde boy, even if it's simply a few minutes. This makes Michael realize yet again just how gone he already is for the blue eyed boy, but he's so beyond caring. He kisses the younger boy's forehead gently before giving his hand a squeeze and heading off to the bathroom.

Once he gets in the bathroom he turns on the water right away, letting it warm up as he strips out of his clothes. He steps in carefully, sighing when the hot water hits the tense muscles in his back, relaxing them immediately. He hums absentmindedly as he washes his body, making sure to rub at his back muscles as he washes it, loosening them further.

When he finishes his body, the blue haired boy grabs his shampoo, which is ridiculously expensive but worth it because it makes his dye last longer. He scrubs at his scalp, watching as the blue suds swirl down the drain. Double checking that he got all the colourful suds out, Michael shuts off the water, grabbing a towel and drying himself off. He wraps the towel around his waist and opens the door, padding to his room to grab some clean clothes.

The older boy just finishes pulling an old t-shirt over his head when Luke enters the room, and he smiles at the blonde boy gently. “You can go shower now, there's some towels in the cabinet under the sink. Oh, and you can grab clean clothes from my closet, take whatever you want,” Michael rambles, wanting to make sure that the blonde boy has everything that he needs before he gets in the shower.

Luke nods slightly, grabbing some fresh clothes from Michael's closet as the older boy lounges on the bed, scrolling through something on his phone. He slips out of the room and into the bathroom, noting how the room is still warm from the other boy's shower, the air smelling strongly of the mint scent that Luke always smells on Michael.

Luke glances at the bathtub nervously, the awful memories of his past already threatening to break through the fragile barriers that the broken boy has attempted to put up in his mind. He almost wants to laugh when he steps back and looks at the situation; he is literally scared of a fucking bathtub. He finally just sighs, deciding that everything should be fine if he just gets in and out quickly.

Luke turns on the water carefully, stepping out of his clothes and only hesitating a little before he just gets in, eager to be finished. As the blonde boy stands under the warm spray of the shower, his mind wanders back to that day. He shivers as he remembers the sheer panic running through his veins when he received _the_ text message from Niall _'thank you for all that you've done Luke. This isn't your fault. I love you.'_

He remembers the way his lungs burned as he ran faster than he ever had, knowing that he needed to get to Niall's house immediately, and the nausea that overtook him when he finally arrived. Luke found him in the bathtub, halfway full with water that was slowly turning crimson as the blood leaked out of Niall's wrists steadily.

Luke shakes his head, pulling himself out of those thoughts quickly, trying to push them aside so he can finish his shower. He manages to wash his body without a problem, and it feels good to be clean again, just like Michael said.

The problem comes when Luke bends down to grab the shampoo, accidentally looking at the water as it swirls down the drain. Except that Luke doesn't see water, he sees blood, as real as it was that day. He starts panicking, his eyes looking around frantically, seeing blood covering the entire bathtub. Even the water that continues to pulse out from the shower head is a sickly crimson colour, and Luke can hear sirens, just like he did as the ambulances arrived to take Niall's cold, dead body away.

The blonde boy begins having a full blown panic attack, air coming in gasping breaths as he curls up in the fetal position, covering his ears in an attempt to block out the sound of sirens. He can't see any of his surroundings, completely blinded by the memories of that day.

When Michael hears screams coming from the bathroom, he sits up from his position on the bed immediately, panick blossoming in his chest. The blue haired boy is shocked when he hears his own name being shouted, sounding raw and desperate, “Michael! Michael, please...”

The blue haired boy jumps off the bed, racing to the bathroom, breath hitching in his throat as all the possibilities of what could be wrong run through his head. It doesn't even register that Luke is talking, saying Michael's name of all things, the older boy is simply too panicked to even realize the importance of that at the moment.

He bursts into the room, eyes darting around urgently. Michael finds Luke curled up in a ball on the floor of the bathtub, the shower still running. The blonde boy has his hands over his ears, and he's shouting at Michael, “make it stop! Please make it stop...” Luke whimpers, looking extremely vulnerable curled up on the shower floor.

The shouting alerts Michael, and the older boy immediately pushes the worrying thoughts aside, deciding that he'll have plenty of time for them later. For now, he reaches over Luke quickly, turning off the water which has now gone cold, if the chattering of the fragile boy's teeth is any indication. He wraps the younger boy up in a big, fluffy towel, wanting him to feel less exposed.

Michael pulls the panicked boy into his lap, rocking them back and worth and humming a soothing tune as he attempts to calm him down.

Luke relaxes into Michael's touch immediately, wrapping his arms around the older boy's neck, finding comfort in his presence. He listens to the sweet nothings the older boy whispers to him, “it's alright Lukey, you're safe. Copy my breathing, okay? In and out,” Michael just keeps mumbling to the blonde boy, stroking his back softly.

Eventually, after copying Michael's breathing for a couple minutes, Luke's lungs stop burning for oxygen, and he lets his body slump against the older boy's, completely exhausted.

As they sit there on the cold bathroom tiles, Luke clinging to Michael for dear life, it hits the older boy. Luke actually talked. Even if he was completely distressed, he stilled _talked_ to Michael, and that was a _big_ step.

Although his eyes widen at the realization, he decides that making a big deal of it will only make the blonde boy nervous, so he opts for simply asking Luke what was wrong and seeing if the blonde boy will respond.

“What happened, Lukey?” Michael holds his breath after he speaks, closing his eyes and silently praying that the talking wasn't a one time thing in a moment of urgency.

“C-can we t-talk about it later?” Luke's voice is so small, muffled by the soft fabric of Michael's old t-shirt. Michael thinks he could cry from relief when he hears the younger boy speak again, and he's quick to agree, “of course, why don't I wash your hair in the sink for you? Then we can get you into some warm clothes and snuggle in bed?”

Michael can tell that Luke didn't get to washing his hair, the strong scent of Michael's mint shampoo absent from the younger boy's hair, which was currently tickling Michael's face. “O-okay...” Luke's reply is shaky, but Michael is honestly so relieved to be hearing the fragile boy talk that he could care less.

“Okay,” Michael begins as it gently untangles himself from the blonde boy, making sure Luke has a firm hold on the towel around his waist before helping him up. “I'll be right back, okay?” he tells Luke gently, brushing his damp hair out of his forehead and placing a kiss there before he turns around, walking out of the room quickly.

Michael grabs some sweats from his closet, not even looking at which ones he picks. He briefly wonders if Luke already has sweats in the bathroom, but simply shrugs it off, taking the pants with him anyways. He then rushes into the kitchen, taking one of the chairs for Luke to sit on in front of the bathroom sink while he washes the boy's golden locks.

Luke looks up as Michael reenters the bathroom, watching as the older boy sets down the chair, handing the sweat pants to Luke. “I'll turn around while you put them on,” Michael smirks, making a show of turning around and covering his eyes playfully.

Luke rolls his own ocean blue eyes, even if the other boy can't see him. He slips into the sweat pants carefully, feeling a lot better now that he has them on. “You can turn now,” he says shyly, staring as his pale, bare feet, looking up at Michael through thick blonde lashes.

The blue haired boy smiles at Luke widely, gesturing for him to sit in the chair he had previously set down. Once the blonde boy was situated comfortably, his head tipped back so that Michael could wet his hair over the sink, the older boy set to work.

He turned the tap on so that it was nice and warm, but not to the point where it would be uncomfortable for the younger boy. He grabbed the plastic cup that he kept by the sink, filling it with the nice warm water, pouring it over the boy's golden locks carefully. He ran his fingers through the soft, damp hair, and once he was satisfied that all the strands were wet, he bent over Luke to grab the shampoo.

Luke watched the older boy as he popped the lid on the shampoo bottle, pouring some of the minty green liquid into his hands. The blue eyed boy couldn't help the smile that spread across his face as the scent of the shampoo wafted over to him, the minty smell that always clings to Michael is distinct in the air now, and it is obvious that the shampoo is responsible for it.

Luke sighs as Michael brings his fingers to the younger boy's hair, gently massaging his scalp as he rubs the shampoo in. He takes his time, making sure to clean the blonde strands thoroughly before reaching for the same plastic cup, this time to rinse it.

Michael brings the hand that isn't holding the cup up to Luke's face, using it to shield the boy's eyes as he rinses his hair, the minty suds washing down the drain. Once he's finished, he grabs another towel and dries Luke's hair gently, trying to soak up as much water as he can.

After he's done with the drying, Michael looks down at Luke softly, only to find that the blonde boy is already looking up at him, fondness clear in his eyes. “Thank you, Michael. N-not just for this, for everything. Just in the last couple of days, you've made me feel more wanted than I ever have before...” Luke's voice is shaky, and Michael watches as the younger boy's lip quivers.

The older boy pulls Luke up into his arms, holding him close as he speaks softly, “you deserve to feel wanted, Lukey. Fuck all those people who have hurt you in the past, you didn't deserve any of that.” Michael rubs Luke's bare back gently, dropping a kiss on his damp hair before he continues on, “I just hope that you can trust me enough to talk about what happened, so we can be sure that your father, and no one else for that matter, can ever lay a hand on you again.”

Luke wants to cry at the sheer determination in the blue haired boy's voice, and he knows that everything that is coming out of his mouth is completely sincere. He just doesn't understand what he did to deserve someone like Michael in his life, but regardless, he's extremely grateful that the older boy is here now.

“Of course I trust you, Mikey,” the blonde boy speaks so quietly that Michael would have missed it if he wasn't listening so closely, but he's glad that he does hear it, because an overwhelming amount of fondness rushes over him at the nick name that the younger boy gave him.

“Alright then, why don't we curl up under the duvet in bed and just talk for a little bit? You don't have to tell me everything, but maybe we can start with whatever happened in the shower?” Michael suggests this softly, not wanting the fragile boy to feel pressured in any way, but still extremely concerned for the boy. Whatever happened back there, Michael knew that it was caused by something extremely traumatizing, and he thought that it might do Luke good to talk about it.

He feels the blonde boy nod softly, so he picks him up gently and carries him to the bedroom, unsure of what to expect from their upcoming conversation, but intrigued to be finally learning about the younger boy's past. He just hopes that he'll be able to help the boy overcome his demons, because he knows far too well how hard it can be to battle them, especially when they're really determined to fight back.


	7. I'm Gonna Break Down These Walls, I Built Around Myself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was emotional to write, good luck ;). xx (title is from Walls by All Time Low.) There is a mention of self harm in this chapter as well, if it might trigger you, please don't read. Stay strong, love yourselves. xx

Once the two boys are situated in bed, curled up under Michael's black duvet, lying on their sides facing each other, Luke decides that he might as well begin the conversation. He takes a deep, steadying breath, and when he looks into Michael's beautiful green eyes, he sees nothing but reassurance. He knows that he can tell Michael anything, that he won't ever judge him for any of his past experiences. He's also confident that the older boy will be able to help him work through his issues, so that he can feel whole again.

As scary as it is, the blonde boy can feel himself quickly falling for Michael, which honestly shouldn't be surprising to anyone who has spent more than 5 minutes with the blue haired boy; Michael is such a special person, and he's very easy to love, Luke thinks.

As he looks up into Michael's eyes once again, he sees something in the boy's emerald irises that he thinks, he hopes, might be the beginning stages of love; he exhales heavily when he realizes that Michael might just be falling for him too.

Luke finally decides then that the older boy has been waiting long enough to hear some kind of explanation about his past, “o-okay... I'm just going to spit all this out now, and we can talk about it when I'm done? I honestly don't think I'll be able to continue if I don't just say it all at once...” Luke closes his eyes, shuddering as the memories invade his mind once again.

“Of course, I only want you to do what you're comfortable with, babe,” Michael speaks with so much sincerity, Luke wonders yet again what he did to deserve his kindness.

Michael takes the one of the younger boy's hands in his, lacing their fingers together, waiting patiently for him to continue. “So I met Niall when we were in kindergarten, and he lived down the road from me so we were always together, inseparable even...”

Michael can feel dread twisting in his stomach, just by watching the agony on Luke's face, it's almost like he can feel the blonde boy's pain seeping into his skin through their interlocked hands. The younger boy's ocean blue eyes hold a distant look, as if he's not even seeing Michael in front of him, his mind completely overrun by the haunting images of his past.

“We didn't live in a very nice area... most of the people there were drunks... so once we got older, me and Niall grew even closer through the mutual understanding of what it was like to have drunk parents. Well, in my case it was just my dad, but the story about my parents can be left for another day...” Luke's voice is surprisingly steady, but completely cold, as if he flipped a switch inside him that shut off all his emotions.

Michael nodded reassuringly, not wanting the fragile boy to feel overwhelmed, one story is enough for today. With that, Luke continued, “despite that fact that we understood each other, and that we didn't have to go through it alone, it was still wearing down on us, but in different ways...” Luke bit his lip harshly, taking another keep breath.

“I guess I developed anxiety, awkward around anyone besides Niall, jumpy all the time, panic attacks here and there... but Niall, Niall was depressed... really depressed. My dad had always beat me, but not nearly as bad as Niall's parents beat him... Well, up until Niall's death it wasn't as bad...” Luke was completely off in his own world, and Michael just let him go on, knowing that Luke needed to talk about this to get it off his chest.

“But Mikey, he endured that level of beating for _years_ , and you saw how I was after just a few months. His life was quite literally a living hell, and he hated every second of it.” Michael felt like he was going to be sick, his blood was boiling again, and he mentally added Niall's parents to the list of people he wanted to murder, right next to Luke's sorry excuse of a father.

“I worried about Niall a lot, I knew that he self harmed, he hated himself for being gay, hated that he was a d-disappointment to his parents...” There were tears streaming down Luke's face steadily now, but Michael knew better than to touch him, he wanted the boy to be able to finish his story before he broke down completely.

“Eventually he got really bad, and I didn't know what to do to help him. He kept telling me he was fine, trying to reassure me, but I k-knew he wasn't. I got a text from him, a fucking text as a goodbye.” Luke let out a humourless chuckle, taking in another shaky breath.

“I ran to his house... and I found him in the bathtub, wrists slashed, and God... there was blood everywhere.” Luke shivered violently, closing his eyes tightly, trying to fight against the images that were pushing their way into his mind once again.

“The sirens were deafening, and now every time I see a bathtub my mind goes back to that day. All the water turns to blood and I hear the sirens, the pounding footsteps of the paramedics... Some days it's worse than others, but I honestly hate showering now...” Luke concludes, sighing with relief at the fact that he's finally done.

He decides that it actually feels pretty good to have confided in Michael, and he knows that it will bring them closer now that he's talking to the older boy.

Michael takes a deep, shaky breath, trying really hard to blink back tears, “I'm so sorry that you had to go through that, Lukey, no one deserves that kind of pain, especially someone as beautiful as you...” Michael feels a tear escape, sliding down his face slowly, and it seems to set the younger boy off, because suddenly he's clinging onto Michael, burying his face in the older boy's chest to muffle his sobs.

Michael wraps his arms around Luke tightly, hiding his face in the blonde boy's neck, his hot tears soaking the skin there. “You're going to be okay Lukey, you're safe now,” Michael's voice is thick with tears, and he lets out his own strangled sob.

Luke nods his head against Michael's chest, “I know,” he says confidently, like he doesn't doubt for a second that Michael is going to protect him, and Michael feels his heart squeeze in his chest.

Michael pulls back slightly, looking into Luke's eyes. The ocean eyed boy stares back, his blue irises shining with trust and fondness. Michael brings his thumb up to the boy's cheek, wiping what's left of his tears, thinking back to the first time he did this in the clearing.

When he looks back into the younger boy's eyes, he sees them flicker down to his lips, before they return back up to meet his own. Michael leans in slowly, not wanting to frighten the younger boy, giving him a chance to pull away if that's what he wants.

When their lips touch, a warm feeling spreads through Michael's chest. He slots their lips together gently, moving his mouth against Luke's slowly, cradling the back of the blonde boy's head in his hand.

When they finally pull away, smiling at each other brightly, Michael decides that kissing Luke feels like coming home after a long time away, like picking up his guitar after weeks of abandoning it, or laying in bed after he puts down fresh sheets. It's _comfortable_ , and in that moment, Michael knows that he would like to kiss Luke for the rest of his life, if he'll let him.


	8. I Wanna Fly and Put Back All the Pieces of This Broken Heart Tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter wasn't that exciting, but it's kind of a filler. I hope you enjoyed regardless! (title is from Fly by Sleeping With Sirens, and if you haven't checked out their new album Madness you really should because it's amazing.) xx

When Luke blinks his eyes open the next morning he feels warm, _too_ warm, and it takes his mind, sluggish from sleep, a couple minutes to catch up and remember the night before. That's when he realizes that he's warm because his body is completely wrapped around Michael's, their legs tangled together, Michael's arm heavy around his waist, warm breath fanning over his neck.

Luke smiles, snuggling back into the older boy's warmth. Michael stirs at this, rubbing his cold nose on the back of the blonde boy's neck, sighing contently. He presses a sweet kiss there, “morning sunshine,” he tightens his arm around Luke's waist, bringing the blonde boy impossibly closer.

Luke turns around in Michael's arms, beaming at the green eyed boy brightly, “morning.” Michael can't resist grinning back, leaning in and pressing his lips to the blonde boy's, smiling into the kiss.

Michael glances at the alarm clock on his bedside table and frowns, worried about leaving the blonde boy alone all day while he goes to work, he's sure that it's really boring for the younger boy to sit in his empty apartment all day by himself.

He sighs heavily “I have to work again today,” he tells the blonde boy, who pouts at him sadly. Michael feels his heart squeeze, but not in a good way this time. He tries to think of a solution, knowing that it would be really shitty to continue leaving the boy alone for hours every day, because it wasn't often that the older boy got days off with how tight things are at the restaurant right now.

“I hate being here alone...” Luke says, looking up at Michael through his eyelashes shyly.

As Michael looks into his sad, ocean blue eyes, he has an idea. “Well... Maybe you could just come to work with me? Hangout in the restaurant with me and Alex? He's a really cool guy, he won't mind at all.” Michael smiles at the younger boy hopefully, liking the idea of having Luke to keep him company at work. It would also be nice to have the blonde boy with him, because he worries a lot about leaving him without protection, never knowing what could happen with his father.

The younger boy looks up at Michael then, and a flash of hesitation crosses his eyes, but then he's nodding slowly, “o-okay...” he decides finally, a small smile on his face. Michael grins, “don't feel like you have to talk to Alex or anyone else just because you did to me, but I think you're really going to like him,” Michael smiles widely, excitement evident on his face.

The older boy gets out of bed then, “okay, I'm going to make breakfast and you can get dressed, wear whatever you want. Then we can head out, because my shift starts in an hour.” Michael speaks as he throws on some black skinny jeans, pulling a Pierce the Veil shirt over his head. “Okay, thanks Mikey.” Luke gets out of bed then too, stretching when he stands up.

Michael leaves the room and Luke looks down at the crumpled t-shirt and boxers that he wore to bed, deciding to start rummaging through the blue haired boy's closet, thankful that he dresses the same way Luke does so he can find things he likes. He pulls out a pair of black skinny jeans, slipping them on and then grabbing a Nirvana shirt, shrugging and pulling that on too.

Michael pads into the kitchen, and after one look at how empty his fridge is, he decides on simply pouring bowls of cereal for Luke and himself. As the older boy sets the bowls on the table, Luke walks into the kitchen shyly, hovering in the doorway.

Michael can't keep his eyes from scanning over Luke slowly, taking in the blonde boy's long legs. The way Michael's jeans are just a little bit too short, exposing a couple inches of pale, creamy skin. The older boy walks over to him then, grabbing his hand and leaning in, pressing a kiss to his burning cheek, then another to the corner of his mouth. “You look so fucking cute in my clothes,” Michael smiles at the way the younger boy's cheeks only seem to turn a darker shade of red at his words.

“Come on,” the blue haired boy tugs on his hand gently then, leading him to the table, “let's eat so we can get out of here.” He sits down in his spot then, shoving some Lucky Charms into his mouth and smiling around his spoon at the way the Luke's blue eyes light up with excitement when he sees the colourful marshmallows in his bowl.

...

As they pull into the parking lot of the restaurant, Michael feel the apprehension, it seems to be rolling off Luke in waves. He reaches for the blonde boy's hand after he puts the car in park, giving it a reassuring squeeze, “You'll be fine, Lukey. Try not to worry too much, I already told Alex about you, and I'm positive that he's going to love you.”

Luke still seems hesitant as Michael opens his door, getting out coming around to the passenger side, opening that door and helping Luke out of the car. “He would be crazy not to,” the older boy adds, grinning when a smile appears on the younger boy's face at his words.

When they reach the doors, Luke takes a deep breath, trying to calm the butterflies fluttering around in his stomach. He just hopes that he makes a good impression on Alex, he knows how important the restaurant owner is to Michael.

Luke is pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of a bell chiming as Michael pushes open the door. Luke's gaze flickers around nervously, taking in the black and white tiles and red booths, smiling at all the rock posters and vinyls on the walls; he could definitely get used to this place. He doesn't get to admire the decor for long, however, because suddenly an unfamiliar voice is cutting through his thoughts, “Mikey! Look at you, actually on time and shit. Shall I mark this day on my calendar? It probably won't happen again for a while,” Luke decides that this must be Alex talking, his tone sarcastic but fond.

He looks around, spotting the man behind the counter, a mischevious glint in his brown eyes. He has messy brown hair, complete with a fringe which falls right above his eyes, and Luke decides that he actually looks like a pretty cool guy.

He hops over the counter then, coming over to the two boys and pulling Michael in for a hug. The blue haired boy giggles, returning the hug and slapping Alex on the back playfully before pulling away. “Alex, this is Luke. I told him he could hang out here with us while I work?” Michael says that like a question, hoping that he isn't overstepping any boundaries by bringing Luke to work with him. His worries die quickly, however, when Alex replies with a “hell yeah, we could always use the company, it's been a pretty boring day so far.”

Michael breathes a sigh of relief, nodding gratefully. Alex turns his attention to Luke then, “It's nice to meet you, Luke, Michael here wouldn't shut up about you yesterday.” Alex gestures to a blushing Michael, smirking. “I'm glad that you're here so I don't have to listen to him going on and on for his entire shift again,” the brunette winks playfully then, wanting the younger boy to know that he was teasing.

“Hey!” Michael shouts, looking at Alex with mock offense, punching him lightly on the arm. Luke smiles at this, it makes him happy to see how easily Michael interacts with Alex, and with that Luke decides that he can trust the older brunette boy, if Michael seems to be so fond of him. “It's nice to meet you,” Luke says quietly, almost inaudibly, but the look of surprise that quickly flashes across Alex and Michael's faces tells him that they heard.

He holds out his hand after his introduction, not know what to say, trying to be polite. Once the shock dissolves from his face, Alex takes one look down at Luke's outstretched hand before shaking his head quickly and pulling the blonde boy into a hug instead. “We don't do the hand shaking thing here,” the brunette says, his tone teasing, “it's nice to meet you too, Lukey.”

Luke stiffens at first, not used to physical displays of affection, but then he relaxes into Alex's arms, hugging the older boy back softly before letting go. Michael smiles at the brightly, fondness shining in his green eyes, “alright, I'm going to put my uniform on,” the blue haired boy makes his way into the back room then, relief flooding through him. He knew that Luke and Alex would get along, but now that he knows this for sure he feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

When he emerges from the back room, clad in his work clothes once again, he smiles as he finds Luke and Alex sitting at a table talking quietly, Luke smiling at something Alex has said. He pops into the kitchen then, making sure that the cooks have everything ready for the lunch rush that should be starting any minute now.

Even as the college students begin filing in and orders become overwhelming, Michael can't help but feel lighter than he has in years, and it's an amazing feeling.

...

Michael's shift seemed to fly by in no time, and he decides that he has never had more fun at work in his life. Alex, Luke, and him got into a giant whipped cream fight, which started when Michael found a spray bottle of whipped cream by the ice cream supplies and decided it would be a good idea to spray the older brunette with it. They ended up sorting out their differences and teaming up to go attack an unsuspecting Luke, who was busy scrubbing dishes in the back room as the older boys were supposed to be cleaning up the tables.

They also did some mean shredding on the air guitar when Smells Like Teen Spirit came on the loudspeaker, breaking into fits of hysterical giggles as how ridiculous they all looked, and honestly, Michael felt like he was on cloud nine.

Luke smiles as the two younger boys leave, turning to Alex, “thanks for letting me hang out here today, it was a lot of fun.” Luke hopes his gratitude shows in his tone of voice, and he thinks that it does when the brunette grins, “It's no problem, honestly Lukey. Your help made the rush a lot easier than it usually is.” The blonde boy nods at that, turning to leave once again, but the sound of Alex's voice makes him turn back around, “I was actually wondering, would you like a job here as well? I'm short on employees right now, and we could really use the help,” the oldest boy looks up from the table he was cleaning then, wanting to gauge Luke's reaction.

Alex sees the hesitation burning in Luke's eyes, and he's quick to reassure the younger boy, “you don't have to talk to any customers unless you want to, you can do exactly what you did today, cleaning tables and washing dishes, stuff like that. I'll make sure you always work at the same time as Mikey too, I know you'll want to be with him.” Alex smiles at Luke gently, and the hesitation seems to slowly fade from his eyes, “Okay,” the blonde boy agrees finally, nodding his head slowly.

“Perfect!” Alex smiles widely then, going back to washing the table top as Michael and Luke make their way back to the older boy's car. Michael feels excitement bubbling in his stomach as he sits in his seat; he loves the idea of having Luke work with him. This way, he never has to worry about the younger boy being alone, and he also thinks it will help bring Luke out of his shell. This will be a good thing for both of them, he thinks.

As he pulls out of the parking lot to head home, hand intertwined with Luke's as he drives, Michael feels like for once, things are going right for him.


	9. Take Off Your Shirt Your Shoes, Those Skinny Jeans I Bought For You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is basically entirely smut and I'm honestly not sorry at all ;). I hope you guys enjoy! xx (title is from Walls by All Time Low)

As Michael takes the key of of the ignition, effectively silencing the music that was previously playing, he turns to Luke. “ I had a lot of fun today, Lukey. I'm really excited to have you working with us now,” he grins at the blonde boy, squeezing his hand affectionately.

Luke smiles widely in return, “Thank you so much Mikey, I hope you know how much everything you've done for me means. I had more fun today with you and Alex _working_ than I think I ever have before, and I'm honestly so lucky to have met you.” Michael's heart swells in his chest at that, and Luke looks up at him shyly, a light blush dusting over his cheeks when he realizes the weight his words. The younger boy didn't mean for it to get so serious, he just wanted Michael to know how much he appreciates everything he's done for him.

Michael doesn't even know how to reply, rendered speechless by the blonde's statement. Instead he just leans over the center console, slotting their lips together carefully. His hand finds it's way to the base of Luke's neck, fingers brushing through the tuffs of blonde hair there, admiring how they had begun to curl.

The kiss goes from innocent to heated very quickly, and Michael can't resist running his tongue across the younger boy's bottom lip, encouraging him to open up his mouth. When Luke doesn't open up right away, the older boy nibbles on his lip gently, causing him to gasp in shock, allowing Michael's tongue to slip into his mouth. As their tongues slide together, hot and wet, the blonde boy shuffles closer, wrapping his arms around Michael's middle and running his fingers up and down the older boy's spine.

Michael goes to pull the blonde boy even closer, before he realizes that the center console is preventing that, forcing the boys to keep far too much space between them. The blue haired boy doesn't like that, not at all. He pulls away aburbtly, both boys gasping for air once their lips are separated, “upstairs?” Michael manages to breathe out, still fightiing to get enough oxygen into his lungs. Luke nods eagerly, already reaching for the door handle.

As soon as both boys are out, Michael immediately grabs Luke by the waist, pulling him in for a searing kiss. Their bodies are pressed up against each other completely, not even an inch of space between them as Michael pulls his mouth away from Luke's, only to move on to his jaw, leaving a trail of hot, open mouthed kisses there, continuing down his neck when the younger boy hums in approval.

He decides then that they need to get into his apartment, now, so he pulls back from the blonde boy slightly, his lips brushing Michael's own as the older boy speaks, “jump.” Michael notices how his voice is much deeper and rougher than usual, and he almost wants to laugh at how fucked out he sounds already.

Luke complies, jumping up and wrapping his legs around Michael's waist, sucking on the older boy's neck lightly and he stumbles up the stairs, fishing his keys out of his back pocket. He fumbles with them for a moment, and he can feel Luke smirking against his neck. He sighs gratefully once he finally gets the keys into the door, swinging it open and tripping inside.

He shuts the door firmly, and once it's closed, he pushes Luke's back against it, attacking his neck with his lips. He's sure that the younger boy left a bruise on his neck when he was distracting Michael earlier, and the older boy decides that he's going to do the same, it's only fair after all. He searches around the creamy expanse of Luke's neck, stopping when he finds the spot that makes the blonde boy moan quietly.

Michael licks at Luke's sweet spot, letting his teeth graze across the skin there, smirking when it elicits another soft moan from the blonde haired boy. He begins sucking harshly, biting down gently until he has the blue eyed boy writhing beneath him. He pulls away then, looking into Luke's eyes, his pupils blown so wide that Michael can barely see the shocking blue of the boy's irises.

The blue haired boy is worried about pushing Luke, he doesn't want to take advantage of the younger boy by any means. “What do you want,” Michael asks carefully, pressing a kiss to Luke's cheek, then the corner of his mouth, before slotting their lips together once again and licking his way into the blonde boy's mouth. Luke pulls away breathlessly, and the look that he gives Michael is innocent, which is a sharp contrast to their current situation.

“I-I've, umm, never done this before,” the younger boy says shakily, looking up into Michael's eyes, which were probably blown just as wide as his own. “We don't have to -” Michael starts, but he's cut off by Luke's lips, then the blonde haired boy is pulling back and reassuring him, “No, Mikey. I want to do this with you, I was just wondering if we could take it slow? I just don't want to go... all the way yet.” Luke blushes at his words, hiding his head in the crook of Michael's neck so that he doesn't have to see the older boy's reaction.

“Sure, babe,” Michael agrees easily, completely okay with taking things slow. The older boy feels honoured that Luke trusts him enough to do this with him, and he wants nothing more than to please the younger boy.

He moves them from their position against the door then, walking over to the couch and sitting down swiftly so that the younger boy is sitting in his lap, straddling him. He kisses up the blonde boy's neck once again, stopping right under his ear. He nibbles on his ear lobe softly and whispers, “I'm gonna make you feel so good, Lukey.”

Luke shivers at this, a whine escaping his lips. Michael begins kissing him again, hot and wet, and Luke honestly thinks he's in heaven. As his tongue slides against Michael's, he feels like he's burning up; this whole thing is just entirely too hot for him to handle. He tugs on the older boy's shirt then, desperate for skin to skin contact.

He realizes that the blue haired boy is still wearing his beloved leather jacket, so he pushes that off his shoulders, tossing it unceremoniously behind him, not looking to see where it landed. Michael removes his lips from the blonde boy's momentarily, smirking at Luke before he reaches behind him, pulling off his t-shirt quickly. He does the same with the younger boy's when he's finished, tossing them away to join the leather jacket somewhere on the carpeted floor of Michael's living room.

He lifts the younger boy again, placing him so that he's laying flat on his back, across the couch. Michael crawls on top of him, running his fingers along the pale skin of Luke's stomach, "you're so beautiful, baby," he murmurs, causing the younger boy to blush deeply. He grins and leans over the blonde boy, kissing him fiercely but still keeping an inch or two between their bodies, denying the blonde boy of the friction he so deseperately wants.

The blonde boy catches Michael by surprise though, wrapping his legs around the older boy's waist and pulling his body down so that Michael lands on top of him with a shocked gasp. The older boy can feel how hard Luke is against his hip, and he grins mischievously as he rocks his hips back experimentally, grinding down on the younger boy.

Luke moans loudly at this, and Michael has an idea. He flips them around carefully, slipping one thigh between Luke's legs. He rubs his thigh against Luke's length, reaching around to grip the blonde boy's ass, pushing his hips down. The younger boy takes the hint, rutting against Michael's thigh experimentally. He shudders at the friction, burying his face into Michael's neck and muffling his sweet moans in the soft skin there. The older boy rubs Luke's back, squeezing his bum once again as a form of encouragement.

Soon the younger boy is rutting faster, and Michael cant help himself from grabbing the younger boy's head, pulling Luke's face out of his neck so he can give him a searing kiss. He thinks for a moment that there might be far too much teeth and tongue, but he honestly doesn't care, because it feels amazing, and Luke seems to be enjoying himself as well.

The older boy reaches between their bodies then, surprising Luke when he trails his fingers down the blonde boy's pale chest, dipping them inside the waistband of his jeans. When Michael looks up to Luke for permission, the blonde boy bites his lip, nodding slowly.

Michael breathes a sigh of relief, “as cute as you look in my jeans, they need to come off, _now_ ,” the green eyed boy smirks when his words rip a groan from the younger boy's throat. He pops the button on Luke's jeans, dragging the zipper down slowly, teasing the younger boy. Finally, he peels them off the blonde boy's long legs, cursing skinny jeans for being such a bitch to get off. He stands up to remove his own, kicking them off and returning to Luke when he makes grabby hands at him, not pleased with the loss of contact.

Michael climbs back on top of him then, lips crashing down on Luke's as he reaches down to palm the younger boy through his boxers, “p-please,” Luke gasps out, “please do something.” The blonde boy is whimpering, pushing up against Michael's hand, desperate for something, _anything_.

The older boy takes pity in him then, gulping at the way Luke's cock slaps against his stomach when he frees it from the blonde boy's underwear. He tugs them all the way off, tossing them behind him and grabbing Luke's length, stroking it lightly. He tightens his grip when the blonde boy moans, picking up the pace slightly, “o-oh my god Mikey, faster,” Luke grits out, sounding completely wrecked.

Michael looks up at his face then, taking in his flushed cheeks, the beads of sweat beginning to form on his forehead, “you're so beautiful Lukey.” Michael feels the blonde boy's cock twitch in his hand at that, “are you close, babe?” He smirks when the younger boy nods eagerly, moans falling freely from his lips.

He picks up the pace even more, and Luke is fucking up into his hand frantically. The older boy twists his wrist just right and Luke moans his name loudly, seeing stars as he comes hard, white stripes of cum staining both of their stomachs. Michael smiles down at him as he fights to catch his breathe, and overwhelming wave of fondness rushing over him. He kisses the Luke's sweaty forehead, wiping his hand off on the blanket draped over the couch before smoothing down his damp blonde hair.

Once Luke comes down from his high, he blinks his eyes open and meets Michael's warm gaze, before his eyes flicker down to the bulge in the older boy's boxers, and he can tell that he is painfully hard. He feels warmth spread through his chest at the fact that Michael isn't pressuring him in any way, the older boy doesn't seem to be concerned for himself at all.

Luke gulps, bringing his gaze up to meet Michael's once again. Michael can sense the younger boy's nerves, “you don't have t-” he starts, but Luke shakes his head. “ I want to, I just don't want to do it _badly_ , I guess,” the younger boy ducks his head then, looking up at Michael through his eyelashes.

Michael can't help the small smile that spreads across his face, “It won't be bad, it can't be. Trust me.” He intertwines his fingers with Luke's reassuringly, giving his hand a gentle squeeze, “I'll walk you through it, okay?” He speaks gently, wanting to younger boy to feel comfortable. Luke nods at that, eyes widening when Michael stands up, pulling his black briefs down his legs, tossing them aside.

Michael is so _big_ , and Luke can't help but find it a little intimidating. Luke pushes that thought aside when the older boy sits down again, pulling him into his lap. Michael brings the blonde boy's lips back to his, sucking on his tongue lightly. He grabs Luke's hand gently, trailing it down his own chest, pulling back when he reaches his pubic bone, “just like this,” he murmurs against the younger boy's lips, wraping both of their hands around his length. He shivers at the contact, unable to stop the low moan that escapes his lips at the feeling of finally having his aching dick touched.

This seems to encourage Luke, and he begins moving his hand up and down Michaels length, “Perfect, babe. You're doing great,” Michael moans again, burying his face into the blonde boy's neck, muffling the sounds that continue to fall from his mouth. Luke picks up his pace then, experimentally flicking his wrist, smirking at the groan that it elicits from the older boy.

“So good, Lukey... I'm so close,” Michael moans out. After a few more pumps he bites down on the blonde boy's neck, stomach muscles tightening as he comes, only adding to the mess that Luke already made on their chests. He runs his tongue over Luke's neck, trying to soothe the spot he bit, placing a soft kiss there. “Sorry...” he says, a breathless giggle escaping his lips.

Luke smiles at the older boy when he removes his head from it's place in his neck, “thank you for this,” he says shyly, leaning in and kissing Michael's cheek. “No, thank you,” Michael says gently, “I'm glad that you trust me enough to do this.”

Michael kisses Luke's lips one last time before standing up, causing Luke to squeal, wrapping his legs around Michael's waist tightly to prevent him from falling. The older boy smirks, carrying Luke towards the bathroom, “Let's take a shower, we're literally covered in cum.” The younger boy scrunches his nose up when he realizes how sticky he feels, and he decides that a shower won't be so bad as long as Michael is with him.

The blue haired boy sets Luke on the counter so he can turn on the shower, grabbing his hand and helping him in once the water is nice and warm. Michael stands behind the younger boy, wrapping his arms around his middle and kissing the back of his neck.

Michael knows in that moment that he's falling in love with Luke, _fast_ , and strangely, that fact doesn't even bother him. The idea of loving someone just isn't as terrifying as it used to be, especially not if that person is Luke.


	10. We'll Start a Fire That Shines a Light in the Dark

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, here's cashton ;). I didn't have time to edit this, but I wanted to get it out to you so if anything sounds weird or there's mistakes let me know and I'll go back and fix them later! I hope you enjoy! xx (title is from Save Me A Spark by Sleeping With Sirens.)

It's been about a week since Luke started working at the restaurant, and Michael can honestly say that he feels better than he has in a long time. Going to work doesn't even feel like a chore anymore, he loves goofing around with Alex and Luke when it gets slow. The boys seem to have some kind of juevnille prank war going on between them, and they constantly think of ways to mess with each other.

Michael smiles when he thinks of how far the blonde boy has come in such a short amount of time, and he's honestly so proud of him. Seeing him interact with Alex as well as himself makes him so happy, he's even been occasionally talking to the kitchen staff once in a while. As the blue haired boy's thoughts wander, he pulls into the parking lot of him and Luke's apartment. He went out to grab some groceries since they were seriously lacking food, and he grins excitedly when parks the car and gets out, grabbing the bags of groceries from the back seat. He got the stuff to make his mom's recipe for homemade spaghetti, and he thinks that it will be really fun to have a night in and cook with Luke.

When he starts climbing the stairs he hears All The Small Things drifting down from upstairs, and he grins, singing along as he balances all the bags in his arms, trying not to drop them because that would be disasterous. “She left me roses by the stairs, surprises let me know she cares,” Michael sings along as approaches the top of the first flight of stairs, looking down at his phone to check the time. He's not concerned about anyone hearing him jamming out, Luke must have put one of Michael's Cds in, him and Luke are the only ones inhabiting any of the three small apartments in this building anyways.

While the green eyed boy is distracted by his phone, he fails to notice that there are several boxes piled onto the small landing at in front of the previously vacant second floor apartment. Michael trips on one of them then, dropping one of his grocery bags in the process. “Fuck...” he mutters, watching the groceries tumble out of the bag and into the floor, breathing out a sigh of relief when he realizes that there was nothing fragile in that bag, just some boxes of cereal and pancake mix.

Michael's head shoots up, caught of guard by the voice of a stranger, “Holy shit dude, sorry!” A boy with honey coloured curls pokes his head of out the door of the second floor apartment, walking out and picking up the groceries that Michael has previously dropped. “I figured no one else lived here since the parking lot was empty when we got here.” The curly haired boy gave Michael a bright smile then, handing him the groceries and sticking out his hand for the blue haired boy to shake. Michael glances down at the boy's hand for a second before reaching out and shaking it shyly.

“I'm Ashton, and this,” he points to another boy who comes out of the apartment then, tanned skin and a head of dark hair with a shock of blonde in the front, “is my boyfriend Calum.” The dark haired boy, _Calum_ , Michael had to remind himself, offers the still slightly confused boy a soft smile. Michael shakes his head, trying to clear the confusion and focus, “I'm Michael, I live upstairs with my boyfriend Luke...” he manages, cringing at how socially awkward he is.

“Nice to meet you,” Ashton giggles, and wow, this boy literally reminds Michael of sunshine. His honey curls and bright smile almost make the boy glow. Michael glances down, unsure of what to do with himself, when he notices that the sunshine boy is wearing a Foo Fighters shirt. He decides that he might be able to bring himself to like this boy, he seems to have good taste in music, judging by his shirt and the Blink music that continues to drift out of his apartment, and that's enough for Michael to begin warming up to him. “You guys too,” he offers them a small smile.

“Well I'm gonna go put these groceries away now,” Michael offers one more tight smile before he steps over the boxes, careful not to trip again. He turns around, however, when he hears Ashton's voice calling after him, “We'll see you around?” the curly haired boy offers. Michael is surprised when he finds himself nodding, “sure,” he replies, awkwardly waving with one of his hands which was still holding bags of groceries.

When Michael reaches the third floor, putting the bags down for a second to unlock it, he shakes his head. He wonders if it's going to be weird having another couple in the building. Michael has always lived in the building alone, not many people choosing to live in these low class, shitty apartments. He decides that of all people to move in, this is probably their best bet. Ashton and Calum seem to be good guys, and Michael would guess that they're around Luke and his age, so maybe they'll get along.

When he swings the door to the apartment open, he finds Luke curled up on the couch, Lion King playing on the TV loudly. The bonde boy turns it down when he sees the older boy, making grabby hands at him immediately. Michael smiles at this, walking over to the couch, kicking his shoes off on the way. He lays down on the couch with the younger boy, pulling him to his chest and kissing his forehead.

“I got stuff for us to make spaghetti for dinner tonight,” Michael grins at Luke, smiling even wider when the younger boy's face lights up. “I love spaghetti!” the younger boy snuggles further into Michael's chest, the excitement evident in his voice. The older boy brings Luke's face to his, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, “Alright, let's get going on it though, it has to simmer for an hour.”

The boys get off the couch then, bringing the newly purchased groceries into the kitchen and putting everything but the supplies for the spaghetti away. As Michael examines all the familiar items, his mind wanders back to his childhood, all the times he made this with his mother; so many times that he has the recipe memorized by heart. He knows that he'll eventually tell Luke about his past, but he doesn't want to be the one to bring it up. His past is depressing, and he doesn't want to ruin a happy mood with his problems.

He's honestly feeling a lot better now that he has Luke, and he thinks that with help from the blonde boy he'll be able to close most of the old wounds. They'll still leave a permanent emotional scar on him, but he thinks for the first time in a long while that he might just be okay. Despite what some people may think, Michael knows that emotional scars can be just as painful as physical ones, even if they're not visible, but he's starting to believe that they can at least fade.

Michael takes a deep breath, knowing that he needs to put those thoughts aside for now before he ruins the happy atmosphere filling the small apartment at the moment. “Okay Lukey, do you want to cut up these tomatoes while I start frying the meat?” Luke nods eagerly, happy to do anything the older boy needs.

Luke finishes cutting the tomatoes and Michael opens up all the cans he needs, he begins frying up some meat to add to the sauce. Once that's finished, the younger boy helps him dump all the ingredients into a large pot, giggling when some of it splashes back at them, getting on Michael's cheek. The blue haired boy pouts at Luke while he laughs at him, and when the younger boy is distracted by rubbing the tears that have formed in his eyes due to laughter, he dips his finger into the sauce.

Once the blonde boy has seems to calm down a bit, pulling his hands back from his face, Michael sneaks in, wiping the sauce from his finger onto Luke's cute nose. He giggles at the shocked look on the younger boy's face, leaning in to whisper in his ear, “got you.” He smirks when he pulls back, surprising Luke again when he leans in quickly, tongue darting out to lick the sauce off of his nose.

“Yuck! Now my nose is covered in your saliva.” The younger boy whines, scrunching up his nose, but the grin on his face gives him away. Michael shrugs, “oops,” he drags the word on in a sarcastic sing-song voice. The older boy saunters out of the kitchen playfully, leaving the sauce to simmer. He flops down on the couch, opening his arms for Luke when he emerges from the kitchen, the remains of sauce that Michael's tongue missed gone from his nose.

The younger boy rolls his eyes at him jokingly before heading over the the couch, throwing himself on top of Michael without warning. The blue haired boy lets out a puff of air, glaring at Luke before pulling him towards his chest, snuggling into the warmth of the blonde boy's neck. “So,” Michael mumbles, words muffled by the warm skin that his mouth was pressed against, “We have new neighbours.” Luke perks up at this, pulling back to look at the older boy curiously.

“Hmm,” the younger boy frowns, “are they nice?” Michael shifts around letting his hand slide up to the boy's blonde locks, carding his fingers through the soft tuffs, “Yeah, actually.” Michael smiles, “they were playing Blink when I walked in.” Luke makes an approving sound, “Well that's good. It's going to be weird having other people in the building though.” The older boy nods in agreement, “Maybe we'll become friends with them,” he wonders aloud, thinking that he could see himself becoming friends with Ashton and Calum.

He then realizes just how _weird_ that thought is, since when does Michael _willingly_ socialize? The time he's been spending with Luke is really changing him, bringing him back to how he was before his world crumbled. He knows that he'll never be the exact same Michael he was before, green eyes shining with innocence, but he thinks that is also not a bad thing. He's working towards a new and improved Michael, one who is actually happy unlike how he's felt for the last year, but also one who has experienced hardship, and learned that sometimes in the end, you come out stronger than you were before.


	11. Strawberries Taste How Lips Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a little bit of a smutty chapter for you before the next one because it's pretty heavy, getting into Michael's past and stuff. Enjoy! xx (title is from Little Bird by the amazing Ed Sheeran, it's one of my favourite songs of all time!)

Michael smiles as he finishes wiping off the last table, listening in on the argument that Luke and Alex are having about which Blink song is the best. Luke is insisting that I Miss You one of the most lyrically genius songs in the world, but Alex is sticking with his opinion that although I Miss You is amazing, Give Me One Good Reason is clearly their best song. Michael sneaks up behind Alex as he attempts to make his point, startling the oldest boy by clapping him on the back playfully, clearing his throat dramatically before saying, “ you guys are idiots.”

Alex whips around at that, both him and Luke shooting the blue haired boy a look of mock offense. Michael giggles, and then the other two boys can't keep up the act any longer, bursting out in giggles too. The brunette places his hand on Luke's shoulder once he catches his breath again, “Alright, Lukey,” Alex sighs dramatically, “I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree, won't we?” He winks at the blonde boy playfully, ruffling his hair before he walks away, untying his apon as he goes.

“Thanks for working so late tonight guys, it made closing up a lot faster, I really appreciate it.” Alex smiles at them warmly, and Michael knows that he would do anything for the older boy. “It's no problem man, honestly,” Michael says easily, not even bothered in the slightest, he doesn't mind working with Alex and Luke at all.

The oldest boy smiles at that, “I'm putting up some help wanted posters tomorrow though, we need a couple more employees if we want to keep this place running.” Michael watches as the brunette grabs his keys, wondering what it will be like to have other people working with them. However, he knows that Alex won't hire just any asshole, so he's not too worried about it.

Just before Alex opens the door he turns around, calling back to the younger couple, “You guys can go ahead and help yourselves to a milkshake or something before you leave, if you want.” He smiles at the one more time, “don't forget to lock up Mikey.” With that Alex is out the door, climbing into his car and driving away.

Michael turns to Luke then, smiling at the younger boy, “What's your favourite kind of milkshake, Lukey?” He questions, excitement evident in his voice as he saunters over to the milkshake station. Luke pauses for a moment, thinking. “Strawberry,” the younger boy decides finally, a smile making it's way onto his face. Michael grins, going to work and mixing the shake, even taking the time to put some fresh strawberries on top.

The blue haired boy presents the milkshake to Luke proudly, sticking two straws into the cold, creamy drink. Luke feels his heart swelling in his chest; Michael is so cute, constantly trying to do anything he can to make the blonde haired boy smile. Luke leans to taste the milkshake then, but that happened to be the exact moment that Michael _also_ decided to lean in, resulting in the two boys bumping noses.

Luke looks surprised for a moment, eyes wide, before he bursts into laughter. Michael begins giggling too, the younger boy's laughter is contagious, and his ocean blue eyes are sparkling with tears from laughing too hard. The older boy just takes Luke in, the way his pale cheeks are flushed a pretty pink colour as he covers his mouth to stifle his giggles. Michael decides that Luke needs to laugh like this more often, and when the younger boy finally pulls his hand away from his mouth, Michael brings his hand up to caress his cheek, running his thumb over Luke's cheekbone gently.

The younger boy looks up at Michael shyly, and the blue haired boy can't prevent the next thing that comes tumbling out of his mouth, “you're honestly stunning,” he mutters, gazing at Luke fondly. Michael smiles when he feels the blonde boy's cheek heat up under his palm, dropping his hand and taking a sip of the milkshake. When Luke regains his composure, he too leans in, sipping from his straw. He moans involuntarily at the taste, “this is delicious,” he remarks, glancing up at Michael.

The older boy smiles softly, picking up one of the fresh berries and dipping it into the ice cream, offering it out to Luke. The blonde boy leans in and takes a bite of the strawberry tentitively, grinning when Michael pops the rest of it into his mouth. The two boys finish their shake, chatting aimlessly about anything from the stubborn customer that was giving them a hard time during rush hour, to the plans that they had with Alex this weekend.

Once the cup is empty, Michael brings it back into the kitchen, washing it up quickly and returning it to it's rightful place. Luke is waiting for him when he returns to the dining area, and Michael can't resist leaning down to kiss the younger boy when he reaches him. The blue haired boy hums in approval, deepening the kiss and sucking on Luke's tongue gently, “you taste like strawberries,” he mumbles, lips still brushing against Luke's own.

The younger boy grins, moving in to kiss Michael once again, moaning quietly when the older boy brings his hand up to the back of Luke's head, scratching his scalp gently. Michael pulls back then, taking a deep calming breath; he restaurant is not the place for this type of thing. “Let's go home, shall we?” He suggests, grabbing Luke's hand and intertwining their fingers.

The drive home is silent, and although each boy lost in their thoughts, their hands are still firmly clasped together, resting on the center console between their seats. The staticy speakers of Michael's worn down car are playing Sleeping With Sirens quietly, a contrast to the usual volume that the couple keeps the music at. Michael decides that the atmosphere simply feels calm, and he briefly questions if he should he this comfortable around Luke already. Despite that fact that he's only actually known the blonde boy for a few weeks, Michael feels like the younger boy is becoming his safe place; as long as he's with Luke, he feels okay.

The blue haired boy glances over at Luke then, taking in the boy's content expression, and he realizes that maybe Luke feels exactly the same way, which sets him at ease.

When they arrive at the apartment, approaching the bottom of the staircase that leads up to the third floor apartment, Michael gets an idea. His movements are quick, and before the blonde boy knows it, he's being swept up into Michael's arms with a squeal. The older boy's mind wanders back to the first time he carried Luke up these stairs, but he refrains from mentioning it, not wanting to remind the younger boy of that day with his father.

Michael giggles as he begins ascending the stairs, and when he nearly trips over the top step of the second flight, Luke bursts into a fit of giggles as well. The blue eyed boy buries his face in the crook of Michael's neck, trying to muffle his giggles as the older boy attempts to catch his breath.

They're so caught up in their own world that they don't even notice the door of the second floor apartment opening, Ashton and Calum emerging hand in hand. They look at the couple questioningly, sharing a small smile at how cute they look. Ashton clears his throat loudly, “Well, this landing seems to be our meeting spot, doesn't it?”

Michael and Luke stop giggling immediately, whipping their heads up at the curly haired boy's voice. Michael sets the younger boy down gently, hand coming up to rub the back of his neck awkwardly before he brings it back down to intertwine his fingers with the blonde boy's slightly longer ones. He meets Ashton's gaze shyly, feeling the blush heating his cheeks, “I guess it does...” He manages, glancing at his boyfriend carefully, wanting to make sure that he isn't panicking; he still isn't completely comfortable with talking to just anyone.

Michael decides to speak up then, unable to stand the awkward silence any longer, “Umm,” Michael cringes at that, annoyed at himself for not being able to spit the words out. “This is my boyfriend Luke,” Michael is proud of himself when he manages to refrain from stuttering, “Luke, these are Ashton and Calum, our new neighbours.” The older boy glances at his boyfriend again, pleased when he sees that Luke seems to be relatively calm.

Luke feels his heart clench, because Michael called him his boyfriend. Although the fact that they are in a relationship was pretty clear, it made Luke feel warm inside hearing Michael introducing him that way. He smiles at Ashton and Calum shyly, looking up at them through his eyelashes. The curly haired boy grins glancing down at Luke's (although it technically belongs to Michael) Metallica shirt approvingly, “Sweet shirt man!” Ashton's tone is enthusiastic, and he's smiling brightly, holding out his large hand for Luke to shake.

Luke hesitates, but only before a moment, taking the outstretched hand tentitively and mumbling a thank you. “Well,” Ashton glances at Calum before continuing, “Me and Cal have to run out to the store, but we'll catch you guys later?” Michael nods gratefully, itching to go up to his apartment and be alone with Luke. It's not that he doesn't like Ashton- he actually thinks that he could really get along with him- but his feet are aching from the long shift he worked, and he's really looking forward to just bumming around with Luke for the rest of the night, even if most young couples would be spending their Friday night out and about.

Ashton and Calum begin making their way down to the parking lot, and Michael tugs Luke along, letting go of the younger boy's hand to unlock the door, sighing happily when he swings it open and kicks off his shoes.

Michael makes dinner for himself and Luke, and they snuggle up on the couch and watch Netflix while they eat. Michael gets up from the couch to bring their dirty dishes to the kitchen, leaving them in the sink to worry about later. When he returns to the couch cuddling back up to Luke, he can't resist leaning in and licking a bit of ketchup off the corner of the younger boy's mouth. “You had some ketchup,” Michael grins, amused.

When the older boy goes to pull back, Luke surprises him, catching his lips in a kiss. Michael responds immediately, settling his body over Luke's, his hand sliding up to the blonde boy's neck. Michael deepens the kiss then, running his tongue along the younger boy's. He marvels at the fact that he still tastes like strawberries, despite the fact that the shake was finished hours ago. He shuffles impossibly closer, humming in approval when Luke wraps his long legs around Michael's waist.

The older boy stands up carefully, gripping Luke's bum firmly to keep him up as he stumbles into the bedroom, reaching out to flick on the light before laying the blonde boy down on the bed; he wants to be able to _see_.

They continue to kiss, Luke's lips soft and warm against Michael's own. Michael pushes the younger boy's shirt up gently, indicating that he wants it off. Luke moans softly as Michael rubs his fingers across the smooth skin of his stomach, and the older boy takes that as permission. He pulls Luke's shirt off, tossing it behind him, admiring the newly revealed pale skin. He runs his hands up and down Luke's sides, leaning in to mouth at his collarbones. The younger boy briefly wonders why this doesn't tickle, but decides that it doesn't matter, because at the moment it feels nice, _really_ nice.

Michael grins against the warm skin of the younger boy's collarbone, dragging his teeth along it, putting just enough pressure, judging by the way the younger boy is moaning underneath him. He begins scattering opened mouth kisses across Luke's chest, gradually making his way down to the waistband of his jeans, the trail of soft blonde hair underneath Luke's bellybutton tickling his nose. He stills, glancing up into the boy's ocean blue eyes, “may I?” He questions, running his hands up and down Luke's thighs as he speaks.

The blonde boy groans, panting when Michael mouths at his hard cock which is straining against his tight jeans. “Yes. P-please Mikey, do something.” Luke manages, followed by a moan when the older boy pops the button on his jeans, dragging down the zipper slowly. Michael struggles with the tight jeans briefly, letting out a puff of breath when he finally manages to get them off, discarding them immediately. He pulls the younger boy's underwear off too, tossing them behind him and lifting both Luke legs, placing one on each of his shoulders.

Luke pushes himself up on his elbows, watching Michael with wide eyes, waiting for him to make his next move. The older boy grins, trailing hot, wet kisses up the inside of Luke's right thigh, stopping at his hipbone to suck a mark into his creamy white skin. Luke moans loudly, “F-fuck Michael, _please_.”

When he's finished he pulls back, grinning at the deep purple bruise he left behind, soothing it with his tongue. Luke thrusts his hips up, whimpering desperately. Michael gives in, grabbing the base of Luke's dick carefully, licking a hot stripe up his shaft. Luke grips the sheets tightly, breathing erratic. When Michael finally closes his mouth around the head of his cock he groans loudly, hands flying up to tangle in Michael's blue locks.

Michael places his hands on Luke's hips, wanting to keep the boy from thrusting up, for now, anyways. He works to relax his throat, slowly taking more and more of Luke in. Once his nose touches Luke's pubic bone, he lets go of the boy's hips, pushing them up gently, glancing up at his boyfriend. When he meets the boy's ocean blue eyes, he sees that they are clouded with hesitation, and he thinks it's adorable how shy and innocent the blonde boy is.

Michael begins bobbing his head, pushing Luke's hips up once more, and the younger boy finally takes the hint. He thrusts up hesitantly at first, moaning loudly at the feeling, building up a rhythm when he becomes more confident. The older boy moves his tongue around Luke's shaft, causing the blonde boy to pick up his pace, his thrusts becoming frantic.

The blue haired boy marvels at how hot Luke looks like this, too turned on to even think straight, his control completely lost. Michael loves it, loves seeing Luke let his walls down, and it makes him feel warm and fuzzy inside to know how much the younger boy trusts him.

Michael brings his focus back to the present, and judging by the moans that won't stop tumbling out of his mouth, the younger boy is close. Michael brings a hand up, cupping Luke's balls. The action surprises Luke, and suddenly he's coming down Michael's throat without warning, “F-fuck, fuck, _Michael_.”

The older boy pulls back, swallowing before smiling up at his beautiful boyfriend fondly, rubbing his sides softly as his breathing gradually returns to normal.

Michael notices how sleepy the blonde boy looks, exhaustion evident on his face. He pulls his boxers off, content with jacking himself off quickly so that they can just go to sleep. Luke, however, is having nothing of that, and when he sees the older boy touching himself, he sits up immediately.

“Let me,” he offers, pushing Michael's hand out of the way gently and replacing it with his own. Michael shudders at the contact, already knowing that this is going to be over very quickly. Luke feels Michael's dick twitch in his hand and he flicks his wrist, causing the older boy to fuck up into his hand, moaning.

Michael shivers, his orgasm hitting him suddenly, “f-fuck, _Lukey_ ,” he sighs, breathless.

Once the older boy regains his composure he reaches for the boxers he just pulled off, using them to mop up the mess on both of their chests. When he finishes he tosses them on the ground, deciding that he can deal with it later. Michael crawls under the covers with Luke, pulling the blonde boy to his chest and kissing his neck tenderly before he drifts off to sleep.


	12. Sing Me To Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I did talk about All Time Low in a story which has Alex, I do what I'm punk rock ;). But really, just pretend Alex isn't in a band in this story, because All TIme Low is way too good to not include in it (title is from Lullabies by All Time Low, hahaha). Enjoy! xx

Michael falls to his knees, hand flying up to cover his mouth as he takes in the sight before him. His whole body is trembling, eyes pooling with tears, which he's honestly grateful for; at least they blur his vision, making everything seem a little less real. His head is spinning, and he removes his hand from where it's covering his mouth, turning his head just in time to retch on the road beside him.

The sound of people talking and the sirens of the ambulances are nothing but background noise, quieted by Michael's loud, screaming thoughts. He's vaguely aware of the police officer attempting to speak to him, but he doesn't catch a word of what he's saying. All Michael can think about is how **_alone_** he is.

The two people in the world that actually loved and cared for Michael are gone now, ripped away from him, all that's left of them amongst that tragic mess that sits before him. He feels the panic bubbling in his chest when everything finally catches up to him, and it completely consumes him. His lungs burn as he gasps for air, and he desperately tries to calm himself down. It feels like the weight of the world is pressing down on his shoulders, and it's overwhelming, unbearable even.

...

Luke wakes with a start, rubbing at his sleepy eyes, confusion cutting through the hazy fatigue- why the hell is he awake? His answer came quickly when he felt Michael thrashing around beside him, sobs falling out of the older boy's mouth. Luke sits up quickly, turning to his obviously distressed boyfriend. Michael's eyes are closed, sweat beading on his forehead as he whimpers, tears running down his face steadily.

The younger boy's breath catches in his throat, and he frantically wonders if he should wake the boy or not. One more look at the pain on Michael's face does it for him, and then he's placing a hand on the older boy's shoulder gently, “Mikey? Mikey, babe, wake up.” Luke's voice is soft and soothing, he doesn't want to frighten his boyfriend even more.

Michael wakes with a start, shooting up into a sitting position and gasping for breath. Luke stays back for a moment, unsure of what he should do, but that question is answered for him when the blue haired boy throws himself into the blonde boy's arms, hiding his face in the crook of Luke's neck. Luke tightens his arms around Michael immediately, rubbing his back soothingly, pulling the older boy closer so that he's sitting in Luke's lap.

The younger boy can feel Michael shivering, and he continues to sob into his neck. “Shhh,” Luke coos, kissing his boyfriend's neck tenderly, “You're okay, Mikey. You're safe now.” Luke rocks them back and forth, and in any other situation, he would laugh at how much the roles are reversed right now. Usually Michael is the one to take care of him, and he almost feels unsure of how to handle this, but he just tries to copy the actions the older boy always uses on him.

After a few minutes of rocking, Michael's breathing seems to have returned to normal, and he's no longer sobbing into the blonde boy's neck. Luke pulls back then, grabbing Michael's face gently and forcing the older boy to look at him. The other boy's blue hair is even messier than usual, his cheeks flushed an angry red, eyelashes stuck together with tears; the sight breaks Luke's heart.

The younger boy thinks carefully before speaking, he doesn't want to make this situation any worse, but he's also extremely concerned for his boyfriend. If something upsets Michael this much, Luke feels like he should know about it.

“Do you want to, you know... Talk about it?...” Luke's voice is timid, and he grabs Michaels hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. As curious as he is, he doesn't want the older boy to feel like he has to talk about it, especially if it's just going to make him upset.

Michael sighs in defeat. He _wants_ to tell Luke about his past, _of course_ he does, he trusts him with his life. He's just worried that it won't come out right, and although he's getting a lot better, he still doesn't like feeling so small and _vulnerable_. Despite all this, he decides that now is as good of a time as any, and it seems that he's already put a damper on the mood, so there's no point in worrying about making things depressing with his tragic past.

He looks into Luke's ocean blue eyes then, finding the reassurance there that he needs to begin. “When I was 12, I told my f-family that I'm... g-gay,” the green eyed boy shudders, apparently reliving the memory as he speaks. The blonde boy leans in, pressing an encouraging kiss to Michael's forehead. The blue haired boy sighs, leaning up and kissing Luke's jaw before he continues.

“My entire family, besides my parents, were disgusted,” Michael takes a deep, shaky breath, closing his eyes tightly, “They told me they never wanted to see me again, that I'm an a-abomination.” Luke just let Michael continue, rubbing his back softly.

“It obviously sucked, but as the same time I had amazing parents who loved me so I was fine. I figured it could have been worse, but then, unfortunately, it did get w-worse.” Michael was shivering now, pain etched into his face, and Luke's throat felt like it was slowly closing up.

“A little over a year ago, I g-got a call,” Michael meets Luke's eyes then, agony darkening his beautiful green irses, “It was the police... My parents were involved in a f-fatal car crash.” Luke's hand flies up to his mouth, a choked sob escaping his lips before he has the chance to stop it. Hot tears boil over, pouring down Michael's cheeks steadily, but he continues; he _has_ to.

“It was so awful, Lukey. It makes me _sick_ just thinking about it.” Michael's lips pull into a tight smile then, “That's the night I found the clearing. It's my safe place now...” Luke forces himself to smile back as best as he can, kissing Michael gently, their tears mixing as their lips slot together perfectly.

Michael sighs once they pull back, feeling like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. He wants Luke to know everything about him, and he's glad that he finally got that off his chest. The younger boy pulls Michael down so that they're laying once again, Michael's head resting on Luke's chest. “Let's go back to sleep,” Luke suggests, kissing the top of Michael's head before settling down into the pillows.

Michael closes his eyes, willing sleep to take him over, but the fear still sitting in the pit of his stomach is preventing him from calming down. “Lukey?” Michael's voice is soft, barely even a whisper, but the younger boy still manages to hear him. “Yeah?” Luke questions, bringing his hand up to Michael's hair and scratching his scalp gently.

Michael sighs contently at the feeling of the blonde boy's fingers in his hair, “can you sing to me?” He holds his breath, unsure of what Luke's response will be, he _never_ sings.

Luke hesitates for a moment, nerves rushing through his body at the thought of singing in front of someone, but he reminds himself that this is Michael; he trusts him with his life, so he can trust him with this.

“What do you want me to sing?” He asks softly, fingers still tangled in Michael's blue locks. Michael is quiet for a moment, and the younger boy assumes he's thinking of a song. “Do you know Lullabies by All Time Low?” Michael's voice is hopeful, and Luke nods immediately. “Of course, that song is genius,” Michael grins at that, nodding in agreement.

Luke takes a deep breathe, _now or never_ , “Make it a sweet, sweet goodbye. It could be for the last time and it's not right.” Michael's jaw goes slack, and he's positive that Luke has the most beautiful voice he's ever heard.

" 'Don't let yourself get in over your head,' he said. Alone and far from home I'll find you...” Luke's voice is smooth, hitting every note. Michael just listens in awe as the older boy keeps going.

“Scream, to be heard, like you needed any more attention; Throw the bottle, break the door, and disappear.” Luke bit his lip after that line, the lyrics hitting close to home. 

When he reaches the chorus Michael joins in, his voice soft and sweet, “Sing me to sleep, I'll see you in my dreams. Waiting to say, 'I miss you. I'm so sorry.' ” Their voices melt together perfectly, Michael's soft tone a sharp contrast to Luke's loud, clear notes.

“Forever's never seemed so long as when you're not around, it's like a piece of me is missing.” Michael squeezes Luke's hand, because yeah, when the younger boy isn't with him, it does feel like he's missing a piece of himself. Luke smiles and returns the squeeze, Michael's thoughts being conveyed to him without words. They both need each other to feel whole, and as scary as that should be, Michael has never felt less afraid as he does here with Luke now.


	13. 'Cause All That You Are Is All That I'll Ever Need

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Interesting things are happening next chapter, and you'll finally be meeting Jack. For now, I hope you enjoyed this super cute chapter! xx (title is from Tenerife Sea by the lovely Ed Sheeran!)

Michael sighs in frustration, envisioning ripping his hair out in an attempt to rid himself of the stress caused by rush hour. It's even busier than usual, and Alex and himself are attempting to take orders, bring out food, and run the cash register all by themselves. It's days like these that make Michael wish they had help, and honestly, although he's scared that a newcomer will ruin the dynamic they have going on, he's glad that Alex put up that help wanted sign.

Luke watches the distressed look on Michael's face from a distance, seeing right through the facade that the boy attempts to put on for the customers. He chews on his lower lip nervously, having an internal battle as he watches his friends rush around chaotically. He _wants_ to help them, and he's been talking a lot more lately, even if the prospect of talking to a stranger still frightens him, Luke thinks that he can do it.

He takes a steadying breath then, starting towards his boyfriend as he finishes helping the last person currently waiting in the line for the cashier. "Mike?" Luke asks gently, afraid of annoying the boy who is obviously frustrated. The older boy turns immediately, face softening as soon as he sees the blonde boy standing there, twisting his fingers nervously. "What's up, babe?" Michael grabs Luke's hand, squeezing it as a form of encouragement, and Luke's heart swells. Michael is being so gentle and patient with him, despite the fact that there is still stress rolling off the older boy in waves.

"I can do that while you help Alex serve people?" Luke suggests this timidly, glancing up at Michael's eyes for his reaction. The older boy's eyes shine with pride, and he's nodding carefully, "If you're sure that you want to?" He rubs the back of Luke's hand with his thumb, wanting to make sure that the boy wasn't just offering to help because he feels like he _should_ , even if he's not ready. 

A wave of confidence sweeps over Luke then, and the warmth of Michael's palm on his the boost that he needs. "I'm sure, Mikey. Now _go_. Alex looks overwhelmed." Luke glances at the oldest boy then, seeing the same distress in his face as Michael's, pushing the blue haired boy towards the dining area. Michael gives in, giving Luke's hand a reassuring squeeze before dropping it, grabbing a note pad from the counter as he makes his way towards a table to take the orders of a waiting couple.

Luke sighs in relief then, feeling like a weight was lifted off his shoulder when he notices that his friends look significantly less stressed now. He turns towards the front then, waiting for customers.

...

The shift seems to go by quickly once Luke takes over the cash register, and he finds that he doesn't even mind it all that much. Most of the customers were fairly polite, some even making small talk as Luke rang up their bill, and it was kind of _nice_. Luke is so caught up that he doesn't notice that anyone is walking up to the restaurant until the bell above the door chimes, causing both him and the other two boys to whip their heads up.

Michael's eyebrows furrow when he hears a familiar voice addressing him, "Oh, hey Michael!" Ashton beams, his contagious happiness already brightening the room. Michael sends him a shy smile, accompanied by a small wave. Ashton waves back before his eyes land on Alex, seeing what is obviously a look of confusion on the brunette's face.

The curly haired boy clears his throat then, "Oh, right. My name is Ashton," He sticks out a hand for Alex to shake, which the accepts, bemused. "I saw the help wanted sign? And since I just moved to town I really need a job," Ashton smiles sheepishly, bringing a hand up to rub the back of his neck.

Alex grins at him, "Alright, man. I'll take your resume and get back to you soon?" Ashton nods eagerly, opening the folder that he was previously gripping with his long fingers, pulling out a crisp piece of paper. Alex looks it over briefly, humming in what appears to be satisfaction. Ashton looks lost for a minute, glancing around quickly before excusing himself, thanking them for their time.

As soon as Alex is sure that the curly haired boy is gone for good, he turns to Michael, "Well, how do you know him, Mikey?" Michael looks up at Alex then, startled out of his thoughts about what it would be like to have Ashton working with them. He decides that the sunshine boy is the perfect candidate, considering that both Luke and himself like the boy, which doesn't come easily. 

"Him and his boyfriend, moved into the apartment under ours a couple of weeks ago," he informs his boss, watching the curiosity burning in Alex's eyes. "Hmm, well he seems pretty cool," Alex decides, watching Micheal's face for a reaction. The blue haired boy finds himself humming in agreement, "Yeah, he's a good guy. From what I've seen so far, at least."

Alex turns to Luke then, "Well Lukey, what do you think? Should I hire him?" Luke is confused for a moment, surprised that Alex cares for his opinion. It's not like Luke has worked here for long, so the fact that Alex already cares enough to ask for his opinion warms his heart. "I like him," Luke glances at Alex shyly, sending him a small smile.

"Alright then! It's settled," Alex tosses the towel he was previously using to clean tables into a basket, leaving it to be washed whenever they get around to it. "I'll call him tomorrow," the older boy tells them, the couple nodding in agreement as they all remove their aprons, preparing to leave.

The ride home from work is the same as always, music drifting out the open windows of the car, the Sydney air just cool enough to be soothing. They're only a few minutes from the apartment when Michael turns to the younger boy, "Do you want to go to the clearing tonight? I kind of miss it..."

Luke turns to Michael, smiling, "Sure," he agrees easily. He's been itching to go back to the clearing since the first night Michael found him there, unable to resist the calming atmosphere that the little clearing provides. He wants to appreciate it full on, when he's not swallowed up by his own sadness. He thinks it will be a lot more peaceful this time.

Michael comes around to open the door for him when they arrive, and Luke blushes as the older boy offers a hand, helping him out of the car. They swing their hands between them as they walk, chatting aimlessly as Michael takes them through the familiar path which leads to the clearing.

When they approach the entrance, Luke stops for a moment, just admiring it's beauty. Michael smiles at this, leaning in to press a soft kiss to the blonde boy's cheek. The older boy lets Luke have his moment, and when he's ready they enter the clearing, curling up on the soft grass and admiring the stars.

The view of the sky just seems to be so much better here than it is anywhere else, the starts burning bright against the soft black background. The two boys point out different constellations (some of them being totally made up), sharing soft kisses every once in a while.

The moon is shining high in the sky tonight, casting a soft glow over Luke's face, the shadows created by the dim  light enhancing his angelic features. Michael has no idea what he did to deserve the beautiful boy beside him, and an overwhelming wave of _love_ washes over him.

He decides that he's probably loved Luke since the first day he saw him, curled up on the same grass that is beneath them now. He doesn't understand how someone couldfeel anything but love for Luke, he's so fond of the blonde boy. The overwhelming urge to tell Luke exactly how he feels hits him just as fast as the realization that he _loves_ the younger boy, and he reaches over to brush his fingers across Luke's cheekbone.

Luke turns to his boyfriend then, a look of curiosity immediately overtaking his features. Michael doesn't wait for him to ask questions, opting for leaning in instead, kissing the younger boy deeply. Luke's ocean blue eyes slip shut immediately, hand coming up to grip Michael's bicep.

The older boy hums, pulling Luke on top of him carefully, running his fingers down the blue eyed boy's spine as their lips slide together. Michael decides he's ready, hand resting on Luke's lower back as he pushes them into a sitting position. He pulls back from Luke gently, kissing the corner of the younger boy's mouth when he pouts at the loss of contact.

"Lukey," Michael begins, sighing shakily as he brings a hand up, cupping Luke's cheek. He meets Luke's blue irises then, smiling at the fondness that he sees in them, and something else, something that Michael thinks just might be love. The nerves wash away from him then, this is _Luke_ after all. Michael knows he won't hurt him.

He leans in once again, but this time he avoids the younger boy's lips, leaving a soft trail of kisses up the side of his neck, stopping right under Luke's ear. He smiles against the soft skin when he feels the blonde boy shiver in anticipation. He decides that this is enough teasing, pulling back to look into Luke's eyes once again.  "I love you," he breathes out at last, watching Luke's face carefully, waiting for his reaction.

Michael panics when Luke's eyes fill with tears, spilling over and cascading down his porcelain cheeks. The older boy immediately leans in, kissing the tears away, fingers flying up to thread through Luke's blonde locks. He wonders if it was too soon, feeling infinitesimally better when the blonde boy buries his face in Michael's neck, still seeking comfort from the blue haired boy. 

"I l-love you too," Luke manages, still sobbing into Michael's neck, the skin soaked with tears at this point. Michael can't even find it in him to be bothered, and he guesses that this is because he loves the boy that's curled up against him, fists clutching at the back of Michael's t-shirt as he attempts to get impossibly closer.

After a couple minutes, Luke manages to pull himself together a bit, laughing softly as he dries his eyes on the sleeves of his hoodie. "Sorry..." Luke mutters, glancing up at Michael shyly. The older boy smiles at him softly, deciding that words aren't necessary, leaning in and kissing Luke instead. He tries to pour all his love into that kiss, and Luke understands, lifting a hand to tangle in Michael's hair gently, scratching his scalp softly.

"I just-" Luke cuts himself off, frowning briefly before he continues, "No one has ever told me that before..."

Michael's heart breaks at that, the pain that clouds Luke's blue irises slicing right through his heart. "I guess that I'll just have to love you enough to make up for it then, right?" The blue haired boy smiles when Luke's eyes light up at that, pride spreading through his chest.

"I guess so..." Luke smiles softly, following Michael's gaze to where it has wandered, staring at the moon where it shines above them.

"To the moon and back?" Michael suggests cheekily, grinning when Luke giggles in response.

"Yeah, to the moon and back." Luke's voice is soft, and when Michael leans in to kiss him once again, he realizes that for the first time in what feels like _forever_ , he feels whole again.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you guys have any predictions about Jack's character you should let me know in the comments ;). Thanks for reading! <3


	14. Don't You Realize You Shot This Family a World of Pain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here's Jack! Enjoy xx. (title is from Lullabies by All Time Low. Expect me to use A LOT of their lyrics because they're fucking genius.) P.s. There is homophic language in this chapter, I'm sorry about that but it's needed for the story. I'm a huge supporter of gay rights, love yourselves <3.

Jack glances up at the house in front of him, shrugging to himself before he takes one last drag from his cigarette, tossing it on the ground once he's finished, crushing it under the toe of his heavy black boots. It took him forever to find this fucking man who's supposedly his father, so there's no way he's leaving this place before he gets the chance to talk to him.

He runs a hand through his short black and blonde hair before starting towards the front door, ascending the porch steps and knocking on the door confidently. There's no way in hell that he's going to allow himself to be nervous over this, he doesn't do the whole nervous thing. He hears some rustling behind the door, raising an eyebrow in amusement when he hears what sounds like something being knocked over, followed by a string of curse words.

The door flies open, revealing a tall middle aged man, his greying blonde hair cropped short, piercing blue eyes clouded with what Jack assumes is permanent anger; maybe him and his so called dad have a lot more in common than he initially thought. He decides to speak first, wanting to make it clear that he's in no way intimated by the man in front of him. "Hello Father, long time no see."

Jack smirks as shock washes over his father's features, replacing the anger in his eyes with confusion. "Well you are Andrew Hemmings, aren't you?" Jack knows just from the look on the man's face that he's come to the right place, but him being him, he wanted the satisfaction of the man confirming his findings.

The Andrew pulls himself together then, the moment of confusion fading, "How the fuck did _you_ find me?" The older man is looking at Jack skeptically, but it doesn't phase him, he's used to getting odd looks after all. "I have my ways," he informs his father, pushing past him and inviting himself into the home. He considers taking his jacket off when he feels how stuffy the home is inside, the air smelling of stale beer and sweat, but he doesn't know how things here will go and he wants all his items on him if he needs to make a quick escape.

The older man sighs in defeat, apparently catching on to the fact that Jack plans on staying until he gets some answers. Andrew walks over to where his son has sat down at the table, sitting across from him carefully before finally meeting his gaze, "Well, what brought you here after all these years, Jack?"

Jack is momentarily caught off guard at that. It looks like his father knows a little more about him than he anticipated, but he gains his composure almost immediately, focusing on the task at hand. "As you may know, my mom is a filthy _gay_ whore," Jack glances up at Andrew, pleased when he sees that the older man has had no negative reaction towards his harsh words.   
"I guess I just wanted to see if one of my parents are actually worth my time," he concludes, keeping his heavy gaze on his father's face, analyzing his reaction carefully. So when Andrew flinches at the mention of his mother's sexuality he files that away for later, deciding that there must be something else that also fueled that reaction. 

Jack sees the hatred burning besides his father's eyes when he finally decides to reply, "Yes, well it seems that she isn't the only worthless gay of this family." Jack perks up at that, a devilish grin finding it's way onto his lips. "It looks like you have a lot to fill me in on?" Jack's eyes burn with the same hatred as Andrew's as he keeps his eyes on his father. 

"I guess I do."

...

Luke wakes up in a cold sweat, shivering as images of his father circle through his mind, gasping for breath as he attempts to bring himself impossible closer to Michael's chest, seeking comfort from his boyfriend's loving touch. Michael stirs at this, eyes flying open, almost as if he senses Luke's distress.

"Lukey? Babe, what's wrong?" Michael rubs Luke's back frantically, kissing the younger boy's forehead as he desperately tries to calm Luke down. "Another dream?..." Michael's tone is soft, and the blue haired boy sighs sadly when Luke nods against his chest. He hates that the younger boy is plagued by the haunting images of his father, and although they have significantly decreased since he began sleeping with Michael, they clearly haven't gone away.

"He was here M-Mikey," Luke's voice shakes with fear as his fingers grip at the back of the soft old t-shirt Michael likes to sleep in. Michael shivers at this, the thought of Luke's father actually showing up _here_ , in there home, their _safe place_ is sickening. Michael smooths down Luke's hair, deciding that the physical comfort is more important than words.

Luke shivers again, "It felt so real..."


	15. They Will Have To Find Some Other Hearts To Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww Ashton. What a cutie ;). (title is from Runaways by All Time Low)

Luke twitches in his seat nervously as Michael drives them to work that morning, trying to focus on Ed Sheeran's soothing voice to calm himself down as it bleeds through the speakers. He has no idea why he's nervous, it's not as if he hasn't been talking to a lot more people, even _strangers_ , so he really has no reason to be this nervous about Ashton starting his first shift today.

He knows that if Ashton was to ever make him uncomfortable in any way, Alex would get rid of him immediately, but Luke doesn't want to be picky after all the older man has done for him. He has to remind himself that he's the one who _told_ Alex that he approves of Ashton, and that the curly haired boy has been nothing but nice to him the times that they have ran into each other on the staircase or in the parking lot outside their shared apartment.

Things could be a lot worse; at least Alex didn't hire some stranger that Luke has never met before. Luke is just worried because work feels like a safe place at this point, somewhere where he can be himself and he knows that no one will judge him. The dynamic between Michael, Alex, and himself is amazing and he would hate to see that be destroyed.

As they pull up to the restaurant and park, Michael glances over at Luke, noticing the distress that is obvious on his boyfriend's face. “Don't be too nervous about Ashton starting today, babe. I think that he's going to fit in just fine. He seems like an awesome guy.”

Luke can't help but smile at the fact that Michael knew exactly what was wrong without asking him, soon enough the older boy is going to know Luke better than he knows himself. He gives a small nod as last, and Michael leans in to kiss him softly before they get out of the car.

Michael sees that Ashton's car is parked on the other side of the parking lot once they get out, and he grabs hold of Luke's hand as they open the door, the chiming of the bell a familiar, comforting sound. Alex glanced up from the cash that he was currently counting, putting them in their rightful place in the cash register, “Mikey, Lukey!” Alex bellows, sauntering over to where the two boys are standing, smiling at the older boy.

The brunette leans in then, pretending to tell the couple a secret even though he was speaking obnoxiously loud, “Now you boys better be nice to Ashton here, don't want to scare him off like the last ones.” Alex winks playfully, smiling in satisfaction when his statement draws a giggle from Luke. Michael smiles at his boyfriend, leaning in to kiss his now dimpled cheek quickly.

“Hey!” Alex exclaims in mock outrage, “None of your PDA shit here, this is work.” Michael's stomach tingles at the way Luke's cheeks flush a pretty pink, despite that fact that he obviously knows the oldest boy is just joking. “Oh yeah? You wanna see real PDA Alex?” Michael wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, playfully reaching for Luke, causing the younger boy to squeal and back away.

“You guys are really cute,” Ashton compliments, offering them a genuine smile. Michael looks up at him then, giving him a small smile when the initial shock passes. “Thanks man,” Michael says finally, Ashton nodding in response.

The beginning half of the shift went by smoothly, only a few students coming in before class to grab some breakfast. Ashton is getting along with the other boys just fine, all of them learning a little bit more about him from the idle chit chat that filled the silences created by a lack of customers. However, this peaceful astmosphere is broken around lunch time, and this time it isn't even because of the typical rush of people around midday.

The restaurant was unusually slow during the lunch break at the university, and although there is more people than there had been all morning, stress levels are significantly lower than they usually are during this time of day. Due to the fact that things are so slow, Alex asks Michael to help him carry some boxes of supplies from the back room to the kitchen towards the front of the building, leaving Luke to run the cashier and Ashton to wait on any customers.

Luke's blue eyes flick around the restaurant nervously, fear twisting in his stomach at the lack of reassurance that having Michael close provides. He takes a deep breath as the only customer in the restaurant stands up quickly, closing the laptop that he was previously typing on furiously, probably finishing a last minute assignment on his lunch break.

When the stranger approaches the counter Luke already feels uncomfortable, frustration rolling off the young man in waves as he glances down at his watch, pulling money out of his wallet at the same time. He finally brings his eyes up to meet Luke's then, “Can I have a large black coffee?” His tone is short, and it startles Luke, making his mind wander back to unpleasant memories, fingers shaking as he nods his head and reaches for a coffee cup.

Ashton is over helping a young lady who just sat down so Luke figures he can handle making this coffee. He's watched Michael and Alex do it many times, it can't be that hard. He pours the coffee from the pot carefully, letting out a breath of relief when he doesn't spill anything despite the slight shake to his hands.

He approaches the machine that dispenses cream, eyes drifting over all the different buttons, just as his eyes land on the 'Regular – Large' the man's voice startles him out of his task, “Get on with it man, I don't have all fucking day.”

Luke cringes at the harsh tone, hands shaking violently, “s-sorry...” He stutters, turning back to the machine. As he goes to push the cream button, the man sighs makes a sound of frustration, which causes Luke to jump, the unfinished coffee slipping from his grasp and hitting the floor with a smack. Coffee splashes back on Luke, the liquid hot even through his clothes.

“What the _fuck_? Can you not do something as simple as making a coffee? I have a class to go to and now, thanks to you, I'm going to be late!” The man is raising his voice at this point, and Luke is putting as much distance between himself and the stranger as possible, reeling back until he hits the wall behind the counter.

Ashton's head whips up at the commotion, his eyes frantically taking in the scene at the counter. His blood begins boiling when his gaze finds Luke, the poor boy is obviously distressed and the man in front of the counter just continues to rant at him. What an _asshole_.

The curly haired boy drops his pen and notepad, starting towards the asshole, “What the hell is going on here?” His tone is ice cold as he glares at the stranger, putting himself between this asshole and Luke, just so his intentions are clear.

The man glares right back at Ashton, “Come on man, this guy is an idiot. I have a class to go to and it takes him 10 minutes to make a coffee? What's so hard about that?” Ashton's hands clench into fists at his sides, and it takes everything in him to refrain from punching this guy right now. “Hmm, how about this?...” Ashton begins, taking a step towards the stranger before he continues, “I'll answer that question as soon as you tell me what's so hard about not being such a _prick_.”

Luke curls in on himself, sliding down the wall that he was backed up against, laying on the ground and sobbing. Michael, he needs Michael, and lucky for him, the blue haired boy bursts through the door that leads to the back room at that exact moment. His eyes flick between Luke and the stranger quickly, emerald eyes burning with anger when he pieces things together.

He walks over to the man quickly, standing next to Ashton so that the asshole has no choice but to look at him. “Get the fuck out.” Michael's tone is weirdly calm, _too calm_ , “Never come back, and you better _hope_ that I never see your face again.”

The stranger actually backs up at that, holding up his hands in defeat before he turns and storms out. Michael rushes over to Luke immediately, dropping to the floor and pulling the crying boy into his lap. He runs his hands up and down Luke's spine, knowing that this comforts the younger boy. He leans down and kisses his temple, “I'm _so_ sorry for leaving you baby...” Michael sighs, feeling tears burn in the back of his eyes as he sees how upset Luke is.

The younger boy clings to Michael, hiding his face in the older boy's neck, breathing in the comforting minty smell that's just so _Michael_. It smells like home, and it helps Luke calm himself down. He knows that things like this will happen, and it's not the same as when his father used to yell at him, because now he has people who love him, who he loves back. He has Michael, Alex, and now Ashton, who came to Luke's defense without question even though he barely knows him.

Luke takes a deep breath, “It's o-okay Mikey,” he sighs, kissing the warm skin of the older boy's neck. He feels the older boy relax when he speaks, the fear of Luke feeling like he should return to his old ways just because of this asshole leaving his body.

Luke removes his face from it's hiding place then, peeking over Michael's shoulder, finding Ashton standing behind them awkwardly, like he's unsure of what he should be doing. “Thank you, Ash. For defending me,” Luke speaks softly, but Ashton's gaze still flicks over to him immediately, and he smiles gently at the blonde boy. “Anytime Luke, there was no way that I could let him get away with acting like that.”

Michael grins at that, thankful that no one can see his face. Ashton is definitely a good guy, and the way he handled this situation has Michael respecting him immediately. He's not going to mind having the curly haired boy around at all.

Once Alex finished serving the customer who unfortunately had to witness that, he saunters over to his employees, crouching down so that he's eye level with Luke who is still in the same position on the floor. “I'm really sorry that you had to go through that, Lukey. You and Mikey can go home and relax for the rest of the day, Ash and I will take care of the restaurant, alright?”

Luke nods gratefully, “Thank you so much, Alex.” The brunette smiles, reaching out to pat the younger boy's shoulder gently, “No problem buddy. Forget about that asshole and go enjoy an afternoon off with Mikey, alright?” Alex pulls away after that, standing up and giving the couple room to rise to their feet as well. Michael keeps Luke in his arms, the younger boy simply tightening his grip on his boyfriend's neck, wrapping his legs around Michael's waist to keep himself up.

Michael doesn't even bother with grabbing his bag from the back room. He knows it's safe here and his keys and wallet are in his pockets, so he has everything he needs. “Thank you man, seriously.” He meets Alex's warm brown eyes, hoping that the gratitude he feels comes through in his own green orbs. Alex nods, waving him off. “It's nothing man, honestly. Love you, both of you.”

Michael opens his mouth to reply, but Luke's voice cuts him off unexpectedly. “Love you too,” the younger boy mumbles sleepily, stifling a yawn in the crook of Michael's neck. Michael smiles widely as this, and so does Alex. Despite all the shitty things that have happened in the past, Michael knows that he's extremely lucky to have such amazing friends, and such an amazing _boyfriend_.

With these people by his side, he thinks that he'll be able to get through anything the future might throw at him.


	16. Let Me Kiss You Inside Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for how long this update took. I had a huge scholarship to finish and I was focusing on that. I also had a really hard time writing this chapter and I'm concerned that it's not the best that it can be :/. Anyways, I hope this chapter makes up for the wait? Enjoy ;). (title from Kiss You Inside Out by Hedley)

Michael smiled as he pulled the keys out of the ignition, admiring how cute Luke looks. The blonde boy is curled up on the passenger seat, looking even younger than usual as sleep softens his features. The event at the restaurant has clearly exhausted him, and Michael definitely doesn't have the heart to wake him, even for the five minutes that it will take to ascend the stairs to their apartment He opts for carrying the younger boy instead, cradling him against his chest as he makes his way towards the building.

Luke moves instinctively closer to the older boy, rubbing his face sleepily against the soft material of Michael's work shirt. Michael can't help but smile at this. The fact that the younger boy even finds comfort in his presence when he's _sleeping_ makes the blue haired boy feel warm and fuzzy, a overwhelming wave of _love_ washing over him. He sees Calum when he reaches the top of the second flight of stairs, the dark haired boy is balancing a couple bags of groceries in one hand, unlocking the door to his apartment with the other. He takes one look at the sleeping boy in Michael's arms before smiling softly, thankfully remaining quiet to avoid waking the exhausted boy.

Once Michael manages to get them into the apartment with one arm, the other holding Luke's sleeping form, he puts the younger boy in their bed. He takes off Luke's pants carefully, knowing that they won't be comfortable to sleep in, climbing into the bed beside him once he sheds his own. He brings the blonde boy to his chest, cuddling him close and kissing his temple. Michael grins at the way Luke's lips strench into a smile, even though he's still fast asleep. He's still pissed about what happened earlier, but he's glad that Luke seems to be dealing with it really well. He makes a mental note to remind the younger boy how much he loves him once they wake up from their nap, but for now he lets sleep take him over, the exhaustion from the chaotic start to their day getting to him.

...

Michael feels the beginning of consciousness burning through his mind, pulling him from his deep slumber. He's prepared to immediately go back to sleep, the delicious warmth of Luke's body pressed against his too good to resist, until he realizes that the boy is shaking against him. His eyes shoot open immediately, his protective side kicking in as he hears Luke's sobs echoing through the room despite his feeble attempt to stifle them with his hand.

Michael leans over to pepper kisses all over the back of Luke's flushed neck, “What's wrong, baby?” Luke shakes his head at this, only crying harder as he turns over, burying his face in the familiar wamrth of Michael's neck. The older boy wraps Luke up in his arms immediately, carding his fingers through the soft blonde locks to calm the boy down.

Michael waits for Luke's breathing to return to normal before speaking, “Nightmare?” He questions gently, placing a kiss on the younger boy's hair when his grip on him tightens. Luke nods hesitantly, taking a deep, shuddering breath before speaking.

“That guy today...” Luke pauses, shivering slightly before continuing. Michael's blood boils at this, instinctively bringing the younger boy impossibly closer, as if he can shield him from the pain of the world. “It just reminded me of all the times my d-dad yelled.” Michael's heart breaks at this, and he's not sure who he wants to kill more in that moment; that stranger or Luke's father.

Michael pulls away from Luke slightly, holding the younger boy's chin in his hand gently, forcing him to look into his eyes. “Luke,” he begins, sighing gently. He kisses Luke's forehead softly, “You honestly have _no_ idea how special you are.”

Michael sees the doubt in Luke's eyes, but when the blonde boy opens his mouth to disagree, Michael puts a finger on his mouth gently, silencing him. “No, I'm not done,” Michael smiles at the blonde boy gently, continuing when the younger boy gives him a small nod. “You deserved none of what happened today. That guy was just an asshole who was determined to find something to pick on because he's having a shitty day.” Luke shrugs at this, seemingly not convinced.

Michael sighs, determined to make Luke believe him. He leans in once again, placing soft kisses all over the younger boy's face, grinning against the warm skin when this draws a giggle from Luke. He meets the ocean blue gaze once again, “You have no idea how amazing you are, Lukey. I love you so much.” Michael brings his lips down the creamy expanse of Luke's neck, sucking a mark into the porcelain skin. His tattooed fingers play with the hem of Luke's shirt, tugging it up gently, removing his mouth from the blonde boy's neck so he can pull the shirt over his head. He continues his trail of kisses, making his way down the expanse of Luke's chest, stopping above the waistband of his boxers. “Can I show you?” Michael gazes up at the blonde boy, smiling when he nods shyly.

The older boy reaches back, pulling his shirt over his head and tossing it aside. He's not concerned about himself, only wanting to take care of Luke, but he doesn't want the younger boy to feel self conscious if there is a lack of nakedness on Michael's part. He moves down to connect his lips to Luke's when he's finished, slotting them together perfectly, pouring his love into the gentle lip-lock.

He goes nice and slow, eventually licking his way into Luke's mouth, hand coming up cup the blonde boy's cheek gently. “I love you,” he murmurs against Luke's lips, causing both of them to smile into the kiss. Michael pulls back then, trailing kisses down Luke's chest, fingers caressing his sides softly. He wants to take his time with the blonde boy, making sure he feels loved, cherished.

He hooks his fingers in the waistband of Luke's boxers, playfully rubbing at the skin just below it, smirking at the way the younger boy whines at this, desperate for his touch. He gives in, tugging them down gently, leaving Luke completely naked beneath him. His eyes scan over the beautiful boy beneath him, and he shivers when he's reminded of how _perfect_ Luke is. He decides to voice this, desperate for the blonde boy to believe him.

“You're so perfect, Lukey...” Michael mumbles, moving down to mouth along the inside of Luke's thighs, sucking a mark into the sensitive skin there. Luke moans at this, hand reaching down to tangle in the boy's blue locks, the familiar weight of the blonde boy's long fingers comforting. He takes Luke's length in his hand gently, stroking it so that it hardens beneath his palm. He licks a hot stripe from the base to the tip, satisfaction spreading through his chest when the blonde boy whines again, tugging on the messy strands of hair.

Michael settles for sucking on the tip gently, intent on making this last. Luke has other plans, writhing beneath his boyfriend, “P-please, Mikey.” Luke is beyond caring about sounding whiny, he just wants the older boy to touch him, more than he is already.

Michael pulls back at this, looking up at the younger boy and smiling gently. His blonde hair is a total mess, sticking out in every direction. Michael can't help but grin at this, reaching out to smooth the hair down gently as he speaks, “Can I try something new?”

Luke replies without hesitation, he trusts Michael completely and he knows the boy would never do anything might make him uncomfortable. “Sure, anything. Just touch me? Please?” Luke pouts at Michael, and the older boy lets out a chuckle, leaning in to kiss the pout away. He pulls back again, noting the nervousness on Luke's face as he reaches into the drawer of the bedside table. He kisses him once more, popping the cap on the lube and squirting the substance onto his fingers, coating them generously. “Trust me?” He brings his freehand up to cup Luke's cheek gently, smile returning when the blonde boy nods instantly.

Michael leans in then, kissing the blonde boy fiercely, momentarily catching him off guard. Once he regains his composure, Luke returns the kiss with just as much passion, gasping into Michael's mouth when he feels the older boy's fingers trace their way to his opening, rubbing at it with a lube coated finger. Michael begins pushing it in gently, stopping when he reaches the first knuckle.

“Are you okay, baby?” His voice sounds wrecked, decisively breathless as he looks into the lust darkened blue eyes for reassurance. “Y-yeah. Holy shit Michael, feels so good,” Luke pants, wiggling around at the feeling of Michael's finger. The older boy chokes at this, his cock twitching at Luke's blunt reply. He pulls himself together a moment later, “Oh yeah?” He asks, pushing his finger the rest of the way in suddenly, causing the blonde boy to moan loudly.

He pumps his finger slowly, unable to take his eyes off of Luke's face as he squeezes his eyes shut tightly, bottom lip caught between his teeth as he begins rocking back against Michael's finger. “More. I need more,” Luke manages between moans, hands flying up to grip at the smooth skin of Michael's back. Michael grins yet again, adding a second finger slowly, kissing down Luke's jaw to distract from the burn. He waits for the blonde boy to adjust to the stretch before he quirks his fingers expertly, hitting the boy's prostate dead on.

“Holy f-fuck! Oh m-my god Michael. Again. I-” Luke literally yelps when Michael repeats the motion, “Michael, Michael stop. Holy shit I'm going to come if you don't stop.” Michael pulls his fingers out then, wiping them on the sheets carelessly. His free hand caresses Luke's face lovingly, leaning in to press a sweet kiss to the boy's soft lips.

“We don't have to go any further if you're not ready, baby. I don't want you to feel pressured,” Michael's voice is soft, not wanting to disrrupt the peaceful atmosphere. Luke shakes his head immediately, “No Michael, I want to do this. I want you to make love to me, Mikey.” Luke gives Michael a pleading look, and the older boy feels his stomach tighten at the honesty in Luke's words. He nods immediately, reaching over to the drawer again to grab a condom. He turns to face Luke once again, confusion written on his face as the younger boy puts a hand on his arm to stop him.

“Ummm,” The blonde boy looks down shyly, as if contemplating whether or not he should say what he's thinking. Michael puts two fingers under his chin, lifting it so that he's forced to make eye contact with the older boy. Luke hesitates for a moment longer before finally speaking his mind, “It's just- you don't have to use a condom...”

Michael blinks at him in shock, not believing that those words just came out of Luke's mouth. “Are you sure?” He questions, searching Luke's ocean blue irises for any traces of doubt. “I'm positive,” Luke bites his lip nervously, finally deciding on finishing his thought. “I want to feel close to you, no barriers.”

Michael literally _growls_ at this, pressing his lips to Luke's, mouths sliding together fervently. He feels around the bed beside them, fingers grasping the lube when they come in contact with it. He reaches between their bodies, slicking up his cock while he still kisses the blonde boy, only pulling back when he lines his length up with Luke's entrance. The head of his cock brushes against Luke and both boys moan loudly, “Are you ready?” Michael speaks gently, wanting to be sure that Luke is never uncomfortable with something he's doing.

When the blonde boy nods in approval he pushes in slowly, placing kisses all over Luke's face as it takes on a pained expression. When he finally bottoms out, hips flush against the smooth skin of Luke's bum he breaks the kiss, hiding his face in the younger boy's neck as he pants. “O-oh my god, you feel s-so good Luke,” Michael's eyes squeeze shut, and he has to force himself to remain still as he waits for the blonde boy's permission to move.

Luke feels so _full_ , connected with Michael in the most intimate way possible. He decides that the burn isn't that bad, and entirely worth it as his boyfriend shakes above him, overcome by pleasure. “Move,” He tells Michael, hands finding their way to Michael's bum, encouraging the boy to move. Michael rocks back then, shivering with pleasure as he bottoms out once again, building up a slow and steady rhythm. Moans tumble from the younger boy's lips, his hands coming up to grip at Michael's back.

Luke feels a familiar warmth building up in his stomach, knowing that he's not going to last much longer. “More, Mikey. F-faster,” Luke pants out, eyes snapping shut at the pleasure. Michael brings his hands down, sliding them under Luke's lower back gently, lifting his hips to get a better angle, quickening his pace immediately. The new angle allows Michael to hit Luke's sweet spot once again, “F-fuck! Oh my fucking god, Michael.”

Michael's dick twitches as the profanities continue to tumble from Luke's kiss bitten lips, something that he had not been expecting from the younger boy. He continues to pound into Luke's prostate, causing the younger boy to writhe beneath him, fingernails biting into Michael's pale skin. “Michael, Mikey, I'm-” Michael quickens his pace even further, “Look at me, baby. Wanna see your pretty face when you come for me.”

That does it for Luke, vision turning white, thick spurts of come shooting out as Michael's name leaving his mouth in a shout, nails dragging down his back as he gets lost in the pleasure. Michael's hips jerk unexpectedly, his orgasm sneaking up on him, triggered by a combination of the younger boy's face contorted in pleasure as he releases between them, and the shock of Luke's nails dragging down his back deliciously. “F-fuck Luke! I love you,” he burrys his head in the blonde boy's neck, biting down as he rides out the aftershocks.

Michael shivers when he comes down from his high, managing to pull out gently before he collapses on the bed beside Luke, pulling the blonde boy onto his chest. Luke snuggles up to him immediately, burying his head in the crook of Michael's neck, placing a soft kiss there. “Thank you Michael, I love you so much,” Luke says the last part shyly, grinning when Michael replies back immediately. “I love you too Lukey, so much. Now go to sleep, alright?”

Michael ducks down to place a kiss on Luke's messy hair, smiling fondly when he realizes that the blonde boy has already fallen asleep. He lays his head back down, tightening his grip on Luke, drifting off into unconsciousness almost immediately.


	17. Look At The Roses In Your Garden, You Can Breathe Now And Forget

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise ;). Another update for you lovely people to make up for the really long wait last time. Enjoy xx (title is from Cinderblock Garden by All Time Low)

When Luke's eyes open the next morning they are met with the soft glow of the morning light. His left cheek is warm, still resting in it's place on Michael's chest. He smiles when he realizes their fingers are intertwined, resting on the smooth skin of Michael's tummy. The sheets are soft against his naked body, and Luke honestly feels so blissful. Last night was the best night of his life, and he's so thankful that he shared that experience with Michael. 

Michael begins stirring beneath Luke, bringing him out of his thoughts. It's almost as if the older boy could sense Luke thinking about him, bringing him out of his slumber. The blonde boy feels Michael's fingers tighten around his, giving them a reassuring squeeze as he leans down and presses a kiss to the top of Luke's head. “Morning, baby. How did you sleep?” 

Michael's voice is rough and scratchy with sleep, making Luke smile even wider, lifting his head so that blue eyes can meet sleepy green. “I slept great,” he informs the older boy, a smile spreading across Michael's face when he sees how genuinely happy Luke is. “Good,” Michael replies softly, unable to resist leaning in, placing a soft kiss on the younger boy's lips. 

Michael pulls away, face scrunching up, “Let's go shower, we need to wash this dried up come off.” Luke's eyes widen at Michael's blunt statement, making the older boy chuckle as he gets up off the bed. Luke moves to do the same, whimpering when a sharp pain shoots through his lower body. Michael moves to his side immediately, “Here, I'll carry you,” he offers, tone apologetic as he gather's the blonde boy in his arms. He imagines that the boy is really sore, and will be for the next few days. 

They shower, Michael taking his time with the younger boy, soaping him up gently, scrubbing at his scalp with the minty shampoo. Once they're both nice and clean, Michael heats up some leftover pizza and they lounge around on the couch, Netflix playing on the TV. Alex had texted Michael this morning, telling them to not bother coming into work that afternoon, insisting that Luke take another day to recover. Michael is extremely grateful for this, just another reminder that Alex is the best boss they could ask for. 

They spend quite a few hours cuddled up on the couch, the now empty plates that previously contained slices of pizza resting on the coffee table. The peaceful afternoon only being interrupted when Michael's phone rings from it's place on the coffee table, the older boy pausing the episode of Catfish that's currently playing to answer the call. 

Michael hits the answer button when he sees that it's Ashton calling. He briefly wonders what the older boy could want before holding the phone up to his ear, “Hello?” Ashton's cheery voice comes through the speaker immediately, “Hey, Michael! I'm just leaving the restaurant now and Cal and I were just wondering if you and Luke might want to stop by for dinner? I mean, we work together now, and we live in the same building, so I figured we might as well get to know each other?” 

Michael is surprised at first, he honestly can't remember the last time someone called to make plans with him. “Michael? Are you still there?” Michael shakes himself out of his thoughts, realizing that he has yet to reply to the other boy. “Um, yeah. One second, let me just ask Luke, okay?” He glances over at the blonde boy then, taking the phone away from his ear when Ashton makes a sound of approval, muting the microphone so he can ask Luke without the curly haired boy hearing. 

“Do you want to go to Ashton and Calum's house for dinner, babe?” Michael looks into Luke's eyes carefully, seeing no hesitation in the blue orbs as he nods in agreement, “Sure.” The older boy smiles, proud of how far Luke has come with his social anxiety. He returns to his call with Ashton, agreeing to head over to their apartment around 6pm. Michael is excited to meet Calum properly, curious to see how the raven haired boy acts. He's decided that he likes Ashton a lot, especially after he defended Luke when Michael wasn't there to do it himself, so he assumes that his boyfriend will be nice as well. 

...

When 6pm rolls around, Luke's palms are slick with sweat. He knows that things will be fine, Ashton is a great guy and he's been nothing but nice to Luke, but he can't help the nerves that bubble in his stomach. He plays with the sleeves of his (Michael's) flannel nervously as he waits for the older boy to finish styling his infamous hair. When the older boy emerges from the bathroom he leans down to kiss Luke's forehead tenderly, “Don't worry too much, Lukey. It'll be fun.” 

The blonde boy smiles, loving how Michael always seems to know what he's thinking. He knows that the blue haired boy is right, they need to get out of the house more often, and this is a good place to start. By the time they make their way down to the door of Ashton and Calum's apartment, the nerves in Luke's stomach have settled considerably, Michael's hand in his keeping him calm. 

Ashton is the one to open the door, a bright smile on his face as he greets them, “Hey guys! Come on in!” Michael replies with a simple hello, Luke opting for offering Ashton a small, shy smile, which the older boy returns. The boys enter the living room, following Ashton's lead. Calum is sitting on the large sofa, scrolling through his phone, head popping up at their arrival. “Hey,” he waves shyly, offering the boys a friendly smile. 

Luke smiles back immediately, deciding that he Likes Calum already. The boy just gives off a calming vibe, and Luke's previous nerves fade completely. Michael and Luke join Calum on the couch, watching the football game as Ashton finishes preparing dinner. Luke smiles as he watches Michael and Calum yell at the players on the screen, completely absorbed in the game. 

When dinner is ready the boys sit around the table, chatting aimlessly about music, football, and video games as they eat. Luke enjoys himself, smiling and even giggling a couple times at the jokes that Calum cracks throughout the night, and Michael can't stop grinning as he sees how happy the younger boy is. 

At the end of the night they whip out Calum's acoustic guitar, messing around and singing along to Blink songs really off-key and loud. Luke even joins in on the fun, Michael's chest swelling with pride at the fact that Luke is being himself, rather than worrying about what Calum and Ashton will think of him. He knows that the other couple love Luke already (the blonde boy is basically irresistible), and he thinks that they could become really good friends with Ashton and Calum.


	18. We're Gonna Rattle This Ghost Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is kind of a boring filler, but things are going to get exciting next chapter ;). Also this isn't really edited at all so sorry if it's shit LOL. Enjoy xx. (title is from Anna Sun by Walk The Moon)

Michael looks up from the money he's currently counting to watch Luke and Ashton, lips forming fond smile. The two boys were arguing over the last cookie, the one that Alex told them to get rid of because it would be stale by tomorrow, until they finally settled on splitting it. The look of glee on Luke's face when Ashton placed the other half of the chocolatey treat in his hand makes Michael's heart swell, he has such an overwhelming amount of love for this boy.

Just as he finishes with the money, returning it to it's rightful place in the cash register, Alex strolls into the dining room, “Hey guys! I was thinking that we should get together this weekend? We could have a potluck or something and watch the football game on Saturday?” The brunette raises his eyebrow in question, leaning against the counter as he waits for their response. Everyone nods in agreement, causing Alex to smile widely.

“Cool! So this Saturday, my house? Oh, and Ashton?” Alex turns his gaze to the curly haired boy, who looks up at the mention of his name, “You should bring your man, I'm dying to meet him.” Alex winks suggestively, causing Ashton to blush immediately.

Michael decides that he's actually really looking forward to the weekend now, excited to spend time with his friends. Getting out of the house to actually go somewhere that isn't just work or Calum and Ashton's apartment, which doesn't even require leaving the building, will be good for both Luke and himself. He looks over at the younger boy then, finding him giggling at something Alex is saying to him. He sighs in relief when he sees no trace of nerves in the blonde boy at the mention of having to actually go out somewhere new, and he can't help the wave of pride that washes over him.

Luke has come so far in these last couple months, and seeing him this happy makes Michael happy as well. They both help each other, and Michael is just so thankful that he met Luke when he did.

...

Jack is pacing around the small living room of the Hemmings residence, sighing in frustration when he realizes that he has no new ideas. _Where the hell would a scared teenager go in such a small town that makes him so hard to find?_

He turns around, studying the photographs on the wall behind him for what must be the hundredth time in the last few weeks, scowling at Luke's perfectly quiffed blonde hair. Whether it takes a few more weeks, a few more months, or even a few _years_ , Jack is determined to find this fucking kid. He knows his father wants nothing more than to find Luke, to teach him the lesson he deserves for disrespecting him like that. As if it wasn't just bad enough for him to be such a _disgrace_ , he goes and ruins the family image further by running away from home.

Just like his fucking mother, Jack lights a cigarette, taking a long drag before letting it out slowly, sighing distastefully. He just hopes that if he finds Luke his father will see that he's loyal, that he's the _better_ son.

Jack is pulled out of his thoughts then, head turning towards the door when he hears his father's heavy footsteps approaching. The older man looks worn out, handing a couple pieces of paper to Jack, “There's some maps for a few places that he might be, but the little shit definitely doesn't want to be found.” Mr. Hemmings scratches his stubble, downing the rest of his beer and placing throwing the empty bottle across the room in frustration.

Jack eyes the broken glass indifferently, used to the way his father acts at this point. He just hopes that these places will at least give them some kind of clue about his brother's whereabouts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr is cuddles-with-muke if you want to talk to me or send in a prompt for a one shot! xx


	19. I've Seen You Circling The  Sky Above My Head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit is getting real guys. Also, don't think that because Jack is kind of evil in this story that I don't love him with all my heart in real life, because I do. It's just necessary for the plot! Can i just say that I'm seeing All Time Low in two weeks and I'm losing my shit? (Title is from A Match Into Water by Pierce The Veil, such a good song.) Oh and, if you guys want to know anything about me, feel free to ask me questions in the comments? and you guys can DM on twitter @fiercelymgc or message me on tumblr cuddles-with-muke. xx

Michael takes his eyes away from the road for a moment, glacing at Luke where he sits in the passenger seat, humming along to the music pouring through the speakers. “Are you excited for tonight?” Michael questions the blonde boy, turning his eyes back to the road while he awaits the younger boy's respons. Luke smiles as he thinks about the evening that awaits him, “Yeah, I am. I love hanging out with Alex, Ash, and Cal. They're really nice guys.”  
Michael smiles as well, silently thanking God that they have such good friends. He doesnt know what they did to deserve those 3 boys, but he hopes that they never leave his life. He was currently headed to the grocery store, Luke and him picking up some kind of pre-made dessert after work before heading home to get ready for the little work party at Alex's. He thought about actually putting effort into what they were bringing, but time slipped away from them and there's no time to actually sit down at cook now. Besides, he's sure that their friends won't mind, anything store bought will be a hundred times better than something Michael attempts to make.   
He steers into the driveway of the grocery store now, parking the car and taking the keys out of the ignition. He walks around to Luke's side, opening the door for him, a sweet habit that just stuck with the couple from the beginning. He holds his hand out for the blonde boy, helping him up at placing a quick kiss Luke's cheek. The younger boy smiles, “love you,” he says shyly, glancing up at Michael through his lashes.   
Michael smiles widely, “I love you too, baby. Now let's go grab something so we can head home,” The older boy keeps Luke's hand in his, intertwining their fingers as they walk up to the entrance of the grocery store.   
...  
Jack walks around aimlessly, whisper yelling into his phone as he turns down an aisle filled with various canned goods. “No-” He rolls his eyes, frustrated as his father cuts him off before he can finish speaking. “No, dad. We've been looking for how many weeks? I think if we were going to fucking find this kid, we would have already.” The brunette grabs some canned vegetables, tossing them into the basket he's holding as his father continues to argue with him on the other line.  
He examines the different kinds of tomato sauce, sighting in frustration as he waits for Andrew to finish. “The little shit is probably long gone. I bet he went to another town or something. I didn't think he would be smart enough to realize that in a town this small we would find him, but I guess I thought wrong.” He chooses the cheapest kind of sauce, adding it to his slowly filling basket, making his way out of this aisle. His father goes on about how Luke isn't smart enough to go to another town, and Jack cuts him off, “Well there where the fuck is he? It's not like-” Jack is cut off as he turns the corner, colliding with someone who he didn't even see coming.   
“Shit!” He curses, automatically reaching out to steady the boy he crashed into. “One minute dad,” he speaks into the phone, pulling it away from his ear to apologize to the kid he almost knocked over. The words get caught in his throat, however, when the boy standing in front of him is the very boy he's been looking for all this time. He can't believe it, the blonde quiff and piercing blue eyes staring back at him belonged to his brother, he's sure of it. He feels like the photograph he's been staring at for months is coming alive right before his eyes, and he struggles to compose himself before the blonde boy notices that he's totally staring.   
“Sorry man, I didn't even see you coming, are you okay?” He wants to roll his eyes at the fake sincerity in his voice, but he manages to remain neutral as he waits for the blue eyed boy to reply. “It's okay,” Luke mumbles, looking down at his shoes shyly. The older man opens his mouth to speak, but is interrupted by a new voice, approaching from the corner Luke just turned.   
“Lukey?” A blue head pokes around the corner, eyeing Jack suspiciously. The brunette puts on his best fake smile, offering his hand to the blue haired stranger, “Hey man, I totally didn't mean to bump into him, my apologies.” Jack waits while the boy stares at his hand for a moment, finally shaking it briefly before pulling the blonde boy towards him protectively. “It's alright man, but we have to get going now. See you around,” Jack nods as the boys retreat, turning down the aisle he was in moments ago.  
Jack waits until the two boys are safely out of hearing range, bringing the phone to his ear slowly. “Dad? I found him.”


	20. When Reality Sets In Place, You'll Be Showing The World Your Second Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry that this took a few days, it's my last semester of senior year so it's definitely busy. I hope you enjoy this short but necessary chapter! (Title is from Deadly Conversation by State Champs. If you haven't checked them out, please do. They're seriously amazing and deserve recognition!)

Michael briefly wonders why the short encounter with that stranger felt so weird, shrugging before be grabs Luke's hand, leading him towards the exit. “Let's get going then, yeah? I already grabbed what we need.” The blonde boy boy turned to his boyfriend, agreeing with the boy as he tugs him towards the cash register, quickly paying for everything before getting into the car once again. Luke stared out the window as they headed towards their apartment, watching the familiar surroundings pass by them as he got lost in thought.

There was something about the stranger that he just bumped into that made it hard to get him out of his head. He was simply... _Intriguing_. The image of his dark hair, interrupted by a splash of blonde that seemed to be randomly placed over the top of his head was burning in Luke's mind as the car pulled into the small parking lot. He knew that it wasn't because he was _attracted_ to the boy, not at all, for some reason that thought made him eternally cringe, but there was something else that drew him to the stranger.

Luke shakes his head, deciding that there's no point in dewelling on this subject, not like he's ever going to see the stranger again, anyways. He smiles when Michael opens his door, a gentleman like always. The two boys chat aimlessly as they make their way up to the second floor apartment, smiling and laughing at each other like always, the thought of the stranger being pushed further and further back in his mind.

...

Jack curses as he turns around, deciding that he needs to follow those boys if they have any chance of going anywhere with this discovery. “Dad, I'm following him. I'll keep you informed as soon as something happens, okay? Bye.” The 26 year old weaves through the aisles carefully, trying to look as casual as possible as he maes his way through the small grocery store. The last thing he needs is for some old ass lady to think he looks suspicious, he doesnt have time for that. He turns around the corner of the last aisle, reeling back when he sees the two boys standing at the cash register directly in front of him, breathing a sigh of relief at the fact that he noticed them before they noticed _him_. He got the feeling that this blue haired boy was going to be a real _bitch_ to deal with, he seems to be extremely protective of Luke, and he doubts that they'll get through him easily.

He peeks around the shelves briefly, watching as the blue haired boy finishes paying and grabs Luke's hand, leading him towards the door. _Fuck it_.

Jack makes a beeline for the door, rushing out into the cold night air, throwing his car door open quickly. Just as he starts it up, the couple's car pulls out of the space it was parked in. _Perfect_.

He attempts to make the fact that he's following their car subtle, taking detours here and there that still allowed him to watch the car so that he wouldn't lose them or make the other boy suspicious. When the beaten up car that the blue haired stranger is driving pulls into the parking lot of a small apartment building he grins to himself widely, _got you_.

He can't believe his luck, not only did he find his disgrace of a brother, but he also found out where he _lives_.

Looks like the little shit isn't as smart as he thinks he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to talk, my twitter is @fiercelymgc (a couple people I know irl follow that so dont @ me about this book but you can DM me, I'm more active there!) or my tumblr is cuddles-with-muke. CAN WE ALSO TALK ABOUT PERMANENT VACATION BC IDK ABOUT YOU BUT IM NOT FUCKING OKAY?!


	21. To Colour In The Darker Side Of All My Brightest Hopes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this took longer than planned, my Saturday was much busier than anticipated and Sunday and Monday I was out of town on a Mother's Day road trip! Hopefully you enjoy this! Also, I know the last couple chapters have been short but they're necessary to set up the plot. It will be back to normal soon! ( title is from Paint Your Wings by All Time Low, who I'm seeing live in 5 fucking days holy shit. Are any of you guys by chance going to their concert in Plymouth?) -Kara xx

Michael and Luke giggle as they close the door to their shared apartment behind them, the atmosphere bright and cheerful, both boys in a really good mood after spending an enjoyable night with their friends. It was well past midnight before they decided to get going, deciding that starting another competitive game of Fifa was a bad idea if they wanted to get home at a decent hour.

Calum fit in with the group of boys instantly, laughing along with their stupid jokes and even helping them prank alex by replacing his sugar with salt when he wasn't looking. Michael hopes that the have these get-togethers more often, he forgot what it's like to have friends, and he decides that having people around is a really good feeling.

He smiles as he watches Luke struggle to kick off his all black vans, blue eyes meeting his sheepishly when he finally manages to get them off. “You're so fucking cute,” Michael can't keep the wide smile off his face, pulling the blonde boy into his arms, kissing him chastely. Luke giggles into the kiss, hands sliding behind Michael's neck, fingers gripping the warm skin there.

Their lips slide together sweetly, and Michael can't resist catching Luke's bottom lip between his teeth. This draws a moan from the blonde boy immediately, what started as a chaste kissing becoming quickly heated. Michael licks his way into the younger boy's mouth, tongue tangling with Luke's, his hands slowly making their way down to the boy's bum.

He pulls back resting his forehead against Luke's as he tries to catch his breath. He squeezes Luke's bum, mumbling a breathless, “jump.” The blonde boy wraps his long legs around Michael's waist securely, the older boy walking them to the bedroom blindly, managing to get them to the bed without breaking the kiss.

Several minutes later when Michael is struggling to catch his breath, Luke's naked body pressed against his own, the mess they made sticking to both of their chests, the blue haired boy can't help but think that he would like to marry this beautiful blonde boy one day.

...

Calum made his way to the kitchen of his and Ashton's shared apartment, the curly haired boy in the shower across the apartment, singing loudly to some Nirvana song as steam pours through the crack in the door. The dark haired boy stops at the small window near the dining table, glancing out at the miserable rainy sky.

He pulls back, starting to turn when he spots a dark figure amongst the trees of the small forest that lines the back of the apartment building. He spins back around, catching a glimpse of dark brown and blonde hair before the man turns abruptly, quickly retreating when he realizes that Calum saw him. The man is clad in all black, hood up to shield most of his face, which Calum immediately sees as a red flag. _Why the fuck is this guy scoping out their apartment?_

Calum shakes his head, deciding that he's probably just being paranoid. Maybe the guy was just going for a walk through the woods, Calum does that sometimes when he just needs to relax. The dark haired boy has the tendency to jump to conclusions, Ashton has told him this _at least_ a million times. So, he pushes the thoughts of the mystery man aside and grabs the things he needs to make himself and Ashton tea before bed, no point in getting himself worked up over nothing.

Well, he _hopes_ it's just nothing.


	22. A Glimmer Lighting Up These Cotton Streets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I just wanted to say thank you so much for all the nice comments you guys leave, you're all so cute and sweet. I leave my social media at the end note if you want to talk to me on there, and you should! (title is from Disconnected by the one and only 5 Seconds of Summer) P.S. Are you guys going to rowyso? If so you should tell me which date in the comments!  
> -Kara

Michael stirs into conciousness slowly, opening his eyes to be greeted by the soft light peeking through the curtains. His gaze drifts down to his beautiful boyfriend who is currently curled into Michael's body, his warm cheek pressed firmly against the older boy's chest, blonde hair tickling his chin. He grins when he notices their fingers are still intertwined, resting on Michael's soft stomach, just like they were when they went to sleep the night before.

Michael nuzzles his nose in Luke's bedhead, smiling at the familiar minty scent of his shampoo, mixed with a soft, comforting scent that is just _Luke_. His mind wanders to the fact that Luke's birthday is only a couple of weeks away, and he knows that he wants to do something special for his baby boy. He looks around the room as he searches his mind for an idea, something unique that will really show Luke just how _special_ he is to Michael. His green orbs get locked on the way Luke's skin seems to glow in the morning light, the soft cotton sheets just barely covering his naked body, his golden hair looking ethereal as it catches the sunbeams, almost like a halo. 

It's this scene before him, mixed with the sudden replay of all the memories the two have made together throughout the last few months, that causes the perfect idea to pop into Michael's mind. He knows exactly what he's going to do to make this the best birthday of his little sunshine's life, and he's certain that the boy will love it.

_A week later..._

Michael rushes to the door when he hears a knock on it, grinning when he pulls it open to reveal a smiling Alex, “Hey man.” The stress is evident in his voice, and Alex seems to pick up immediately, patting his blue haired friend on the back.

“Dude, he's going to love it, stop stressing,” the older brunette smiles warmly. “He would love anything you did, really,” he adds, stepping away and calling out to let the blonde boy know that he's here. Michael sighs, nodding his head, “You're right man. Thanks again for all your help over the last couple weeks, it means a lot.”

Alex winks at him, “Anything for my little man,” he grins mischievously, capturing the younger boy in a headlock before he can escape. Michael whines, thrashing around when Alex starts messing up his hair., causing the older boy to smirk and pull away.

Luke approaches then, pouting at Michael as the older boy leans in to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Mikeyyyy, can't I just have one hint?” Luke tries to pull out his puppy eyes, which admittedly would have sucked Michael in if it wasn't for Alex grabbing the blonde boy's hand, shouting a goodbye over his shoulder as he lead Luke to his car. “See you tonight, baby!” Michael calls after the younger boy, blowing him a kiss when he continues to pout teasingly, pulling the door shut behind him.

“Okay,” he mumbles to himself, fisting his faded blue hair and chewing on his lip as he thinks over what he's about to do. Is this good enough for someone as perfect as Luke? He hopes so.

Michael decides to man up and get things ready for later, starting with a new dye job for his shitty faded hair. When he was planning out the night, his mind wandered back to about a month ago, when Luke and him were driving home from the restaurant, chatting idly. The blonde boy had insisted that Michael dye his hair red, claiming that it would “bring out his eyes.” The older boy had hummed in agreement, telling him that he would do that the next time he got around to dying his hair.

He thought it would be the perfect surprise for Luke's birthday, which is why he was here now, reading the instructions on the bottle of hair dye. He glances over everything, seeing that it was pretty much the same thing as every other hair dye he's ever used, shrugging and setting the bottle aside.

Michael mixes the bleach carefully, wishing he had Luke here to help him as he attempts to apply it to the back of his head, struggling to make sure that every strand was evenly coated. When that is finished setting, his hair rinsed and blow dried he glances at the red bottle nervously, hoping that Luke likes the turn out. Red was one of the few colours that Michael _hadn't_ tried before, so he had no idea if this would suit him.

 _Fuck it_. He just goes for it, using a brush to apply the red dye all over his head, carefully avoiding his forehead and neck. He hates that he has to wait 45 minutes for this shit to set, anxious to see what the final product looks like. He puts on Netflix, hoping that the entertainment will help the time pass quicker.

When it's _finally_ time to rinse, Michael jumps up off the couch, narrowly avoiding staining the cushions with dye in his frenzy. When he finishes toweling his hair dry he glances in the mirror, grinning at his reflection. He did _not_ expect the dye to he so vibrant, a shock compared to his porcelain skin and green eyes, but he kind of _loves_ it.

He has a feeling Luke is going to approve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you guys think Mikey is up to for Luke's birthday? Twitter is @fiercelymgc, Tumblr is cuddles-with-muke, hmu ;) hahaha.


	23. I've Found My Sweet Escape When I'm Alone With You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here's Luke's birthday part 1. Please don't hate me for cutting the smut out of this chapter, because honestly I'm doing it for you guys. I'm sure y'all want some good smut, and I couldn't fit it in here without either cutting it down or having a weirdly long chapter, and I know you guys don't want me to cut it down ;). So, patience. I'll try to update really soon! My parents are away and I'm watching my sister, so this week has been and will continue to be busy af, but I will be updating as soon as I have time! Enjoy this cuteness! (title is obviously from Disconnected by the wonderful 5sos)  
> -Kara

Michael wipes his clammy hands on his jeans as he stares at the screen of his phone, waiting for Alex to text him a warning that they're here and Luke is coming up to the apartment. He stands up from his place on the couch, checking his hair for the hundredth in the mirror by the front door. Just as he reaches up to fuss with the red strands, his phone dings, the loud sound startling him. _Oh my god, they're here_.

Michael gives up on his hair, blowing out a shaky breath as he chews on his lip, peeking out of the peephole so that he can see when Luke comes up and open the door for his boyfriend. He almost laughs when he realizes how ridiclous he's being, sweaty palms pressed flat against the door as he waits to pounce on the handle. It's just _Luke_ , his long term boyfriend who he has _no_ reason to be this nervous around.

Just as he manages to calm himself down, his breathing slowing back down to normal, he sees Luke's blonde head peek up from the stairs. Michael smiles widely as he swings the door open, catching the younger boy off guard. He did not expect Michael to be waiting there for him, and he _definitely_ didn't expect him to have _red hair_.

Luke's blue eyes widen, his jaw falling open as he scans over his now red headed boyfriend slowly. “Holy _fuck_ ,” he manages, drawing a giggle out of Michael. The older boy reaches out, pulling his shell shocked boyfriend in for a chaste kiss, which seems to snap him out of his trance. He smiles at the boy, “So, I take it that you like my hair?”

Luke lets out a breathless giggle at this, reaching up to run his fingers through the soft strands. “I love it,” he whispers, almost like he's sharing a secret him. Michael grabs his hand, pulling him into the apartment and shutting the door, “Thanks, babe. Now, I have a special night planned for you. Let's start with dinner, shall we?” Luke nods in response, curiosity flashing in his ocean blue orbs.

Michael leads him to their little kitchen where he set the table nicely, even lighting some mint scented candles, a scent that he knows brings comfort to Luke, because it reminds the younger boy of him. Judging my the grin on Luke's face when he sees the set up, he did something right. He pulls the blonde boy's chair out for him, pushing him back in politely before sitting down. The meal was simple, just spaghetti and meat balls with a small side salad, but Luke appreciated it nonetheless. Just the fact that Michael took the time out of his night to set this up for him made Luke feel really special, he felt _loved_.

Once they were finished their dinner, Michael even pulled out a piece of cheesecake for them to share. Admittedly he didn't make that himself, but hey, the thought is still there. He grabs one fork, and the couple take turns feeding each other bites, giggling when Michael misses Luke's mouth one of the times, resulting in him having to lick some of cherry topping off of the blonde boy's chin.

When their giggles finally die down Michael stands up, pulling Luke with him. “It's time for your present!” He chirps excitedly, leading Luke to the couch and sitting him down. The blonde boy eyes him warily, unsure of what the older boy could have planned for him. When he sees Michael pick up his guitar off the stand a wide grin spreads across his face, his stomach bubbling with anticipation.

Michael sits down in front of him, criss-crossing his legs and placing the guitar in his lap comfortably. He glances up at his beautiful boy from under his lashes, placing his fingers on the strings, immediately relaxing at the familiar feeling. “So, um. I wrote this for you, it's called 'disconnected',” he smiles shyly, strumming the intro.

“Oh oh o-o-oh, oh oh o-oh” Michael starts out tentatively, fingers gliding over the strings.

“Life's a tangled web, of cell phone calls and hashtag I-don't-knows, and you you're so caught up In all the blinking lights and dial tones. I admit I'm a bit of a victim in the worldwide system too, but I've found my sweet escape when I'm alone with you.” Michael begins to get lost in the song, always feeling most comfortable when he has the familiar weight of a guitar in his lap.

By the time the chorus rolls around, he's smiling as he sings, risking a glance up at Luke. When he finds the older boy staring at him in awe, a huge grin spread across his face, his stomach bubbles with happiness. “I like the summer rain, I like the sounds you make, we put the world away, we get so disconnected. You are my getaway, you are my favorite place, we put the world away, yeah we're so disconnected.”

Michael's mind wanders back to the morning that inspired these lyrics, his heart warming at the image of Luke sprawled out on the bed, the morning sun complimenting his features. “Hands around my waist, you're counting up the hills across the sheets. And I'm a falling star, a glimmer lighting up these cotton streets.”

Michael watches Luke's reaction carefully, loving the look of fondness that is plastered on the younger boy's features as he watches his boyfriend play. Oh oh o-o-oh, oh oh o-oh. We're so disconnected. Oh oh o-o-oh, oh oh o-oh.” Michael finishes softly, eyes widening when he looks up to find Luke _crying_.

He jumps up immediately, putting the guitar back on the stand and pulling Luke into his lap, wrapping his arms around the younger boy. “Why are you crying, baby? I'm sorry...” Michael feels bad, he didn't mean to _upset_ him. Luke shoves his face into the warm crook of Michael's neck, breathing in the minty scent to calm himself down. When he finally feels stable, he pulls back and looks into Michael's emerald eyes. He cups the older boy's cheeks, leaning in to place several kisses all over his face. When he leans back again he sees the confusion in Michael's eyes, sighing.

“It's just...” Luke pauses, trying to gather his thoughts. “No one has ever put that much _effort_ into my birthday before. It made me feel so special, I wasn't crying because I'm sad.” Michael sighs in relief, “So you liked it then?” He asks this timidly, even though it's clear that Luke loved it, Michael needs to hear him say that. The blonde boy nods immediately, “Oh my god, Mikey! Are you serious? I loved it. I could listen to you sing that on repeat for hours.”

Michael smiles for the thousandth time that night, bringing Luke in for a passionate kiss. The younger boy responds immediately, his hands flying up to tangle in Michael's newly dyed hair, pushing himself impossibly closer to the boy. Michael's hands rub up and down Luke's sides gently as he nips at the blonde boy's lip, coaxing a moan from him.

He secures his hands under Luke's bum, lifting them up without breaking the kiss, blindly walking towards their bedroom as he slips his tongue into Luke's mouth, licking around hotly.

The younger boy is going to get the best birthday sex of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> talk to me on twitter @fiercelymgc or tumblr cuddles-with-muke :) xx


	24. Our Breathing Has Got Too Loud (I’m Feeling This)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I intended this to be up quicker than it was, but I did 3 scholarship applications this week so I was super busy. It's here now though! Enjoy ;). (title is from Feeling This by Blink 182)

Michael throws the door to their room open, feeling around blindly for the light switch. He wants to see how beautiful Luke looks writhing beneath him, all rational thoughts overtaken by pleasure. He walks them over to the bed, making sure to lay the blonde boy down gently, always conscious of his safely, no matter how turned on he is.

Once they were situated on the bed, it was like Michael kicked down all the rational walls in his head, letting the lust take over him. His lips made a hot trail down Luke's jaw, his teeth dragging across the soft skin there, nibbling on his ear when he reaches it. “So, babe,” Michael starts off, licking the outer shell of Luke's ear as he breathed into it. “What do you want me to do?” The older boy smirks against the warm skin behind Luke's ear, reveling in the loud moan that errupts from the younger boy.

Luke is panting at this point, struggling to form words through the foggy cloud of bliss overtaking his head. “Your mouth,” Luke manages, his voice sounding incredibly breathless as Michael's grin widens even further, the now red haired boy humming in response as he drags his lips even further down, teeth grazing his nipple teasingly. “F-Fuck, Mikey. Stop being a tease,” Luke whines, not even caring if he sounds like a little bitch. It is his birthday after all, and all he wants is for Michael to _fucking touch him_.

Michael senses the blonde boy's frustration, deciding to take pity in him as he sucks on his nipple harshly, his fingers trailing down to brush over the bulge in Luke's pants before he finally drags down the zipper, popping the button open and tugging off the tight black denim harshly. “Gonna make you feel so good...” Michael mumbles against Luke's hipbone, taking the elastic band of the younger boy's boxers in his teeth, dragging the material down slowly.

“This is so hot,” Luke gasps out, fingers flying Michael's freshly dyed hair as the older boy sucks on the inside of Luke's thighs, gently nipping on the skin there every so often. The blonde boy was practically _shaking_ under his touch, eyes squeezed shut, mouth open wide as uncontrollable moans tumble from his kiss swollen lips.

Michael's hand finds its way to Luke's dick, stroking it lazily as he still mouths at the skin of his inner thighs, pulling away immediately when the _perfect_ idea suddenly pops into his head. Luke's head shoots up immediately at the loss of contact, confusion breaking through the cloud of lust fogging his vision. He looks at Michael quizzically, cocking an eyebrow at the red haired boy as he grins at him widely.

“Hey, baby, I wanna try something new. Are you up for it?” Michael's voice is suspiciously eager, but Luke finds himself nodding immediately. He trusts the boy completely, and he knows that if Michael wants to do something it will make him feel good, the older boy _always_ takes care of him. So, he doesn't even question it when Michael spreads his legs a little bit wider, nestling his body between them as he brings his lips back to the warm skin of Luke's thighs. However, he does begin to question things when Michael's lips completely avoid his dick, moving past it as they instead trail down to his balls, sucking on them gently before going down even further.

Luke moans quietly, because despite the confusion, whatever the older boy was doing felt really good, and he definitely didn't want him to stop. Then, Luke feels the warm wet heat of Michael's tongue licking a hot, filthy stripe up his entrance, “ _Oh. Oh my God_ ,” Luke tugs on Michael hair tightly, unable to stop the sounds of pleasure from slipping out. He was not expecting this, and he was _definitely_ not expecting it to feel this _good_.

He cant help but tug his boyfriend's head closer to his body, a breathless giggle escaping Michael's lips, the vibration from it running through Luke's entire body, causing him to shudder with pleasure. The older boy regains his composure quickly, returning to his previous task, his tongue now prodding at Luke's entrance teasingly. He pushes past the tight ring of muscle experimentally, grinning at the sound that it draws from his beautiful boyfriend.

Admittedly, Michael has been thinking about doing this since the first time Luke and him did anything remotely sexual, and he was happy to be finally doing it. He reaches down to spread Luke's cheeks apart gently, burying his face even deeper, causing the blonde boy to groan loudly. Michael reaches his free hand out blindly, relief flooding through him when he comes in contact with the bedside table, rifling through the drawer for a moment before pulling out the little pink bottle he was looking for. He slicks his finger up with the lube, prodding at the younger boy's entrance once he's finished, tongue still moving in and out at a steady pace.

Luke's blue eyes shoot open immediately, meeting Michael's emerald green ones as he manages to look cheeky even though his mouth is _preoccupied_. “W-What are you doing?” Luke chokes out, eyes snapping back closed when he realizes what the older boy is holding up. _Strawberry flavoured lube_ , damn that's hotter than it should be. “Fuck, Mikey.”

Michael goes back to his work, inserting the slick finger alongside his tongue, moaning at the pleasant fruity taste. Luke's hips buck instinctively at the feeling of Michael moaning against him, and the older boy pulls back for a moment, looking up at the blonde boy with a devlish grin. “Want you to come untouched, baby. Just from my tongue and fingers inside you.”

Luke's eyes widen, his body visbily shivering as he nods immediately, Michael returning his finger and tongue to their rightful place. He revels in the feeling, already so close to being pushed over the edge. A familiar feeling starts coiling in his stomach, his hands flying down to grip at Michael's shoulders tightly, _too tightly_ , breaking the soft skin there. Michael can't help but groan at the feeling, the pain feeling way too good.

The vibrations from the groan push Luke over the edge, his nails dragging down Michael's shoulders deliciously, leaving red marks in their wake. The blonde boy literally sees stars as he comes down from his high, his foggy mind barely registering Michael's hot tongue coming up to lick the mess on his chest.

When he finally manages to pry his eyes open, he's met with the sight of Michael jerking off rapidly, but he can't bring himself to reach up and help. His limbs are literally jello, his eyelids suddenly feeling way too heavy. “Come for me, Mikey,” He purrs, deciding that it's the least he can do to help the older boy out. It works, Michael shooting his load immediately, gasping as his orgasm takes him by surprise. He immediately slumps down on top of the younger boy, burying his head in the crook of Luke's neck, desperately trying to catch his breath. They must have been laying there for at least 15 minutes before either of them say anything, Luke being the one to finally break the silence.

“That was the hottest thing that I've ever experienced.”

Michael giggles breathlessly, lifting his head up to place a sweet kiss to the warm skin of Luke's jaw, “Happy birthday, baby.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk to me on twitter @fiercelymgc or tumblr cuddles-with-muke! xx


	25. When The World Falls Into Pieces, You'll Be The One Voice Of Reason

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry that this is pretty short, but I have prom this week so it's pretty hectic, and I wanted to get something out for you before all that happened! I hope you enjoy :) xx. (title is from Queen of Hearts by We The Kings, because I fucking love that song omg)   
> OKAY SO I FUCKED UP  
> basically I'm an idiot and I've been scatter brained lately so I could have sworn that I didn't write Jack coming to the restaurant already. But I did in chapter 22 and it was really short and shitty so do you guys mind if I just delete it and then keep this one? I feel like it fits jacks character more and it's way better for the story. Sorry for all this LOL

Luke blinks his eyes open slowly, confusion breaking through the sleepy fog in his head when he reaches over, finding the other side of the bed empty. He lays there for a minute, letting his body wake up fully, stretching his long limbs, wincing at the soreness caused by the previous night's _activities_. A lazy smile spreads across his face as the memories wash over him, he's so thankful to have Michael in his life.

He sits up in bed then, picking up on the faint sound of The 1975 playing from the kitchen, smiling even more at the thought of the older boy sauntering around the kitchen, humming along to the soft music. In the end, it's that thought that finally convinces the younger boy to drag himself out of bed, in search of his perfect boyfriend. He shivers as the cold air hits him, quickly pulling on a pair of boxers (And if they're Michael's, no one needs to know).

He finds Michael exactly where he expected him to be. He doesn't even notice the blonde boy approaching, far too focused on pouring the pancake batter into the pan _perfectly_ to notice. However he _does_ notice when the younger boy gasps softly, hand flying up to cover his mouth as a faint blush already begins to wash over his cheeks. There on Michael's back, are 10 angry red lines, _scratches_ , from Luke's fingernails.

Michael turns around then, arching a brow bemusedly as he takes in his flustered boyfriend's appearance. “Morning, baby. What's up?” The older boy moves towards Luke, taking his hand away from his mouth and pressing a tender kiss to his burning cheek. “Y-Your back...” Luke manages, biting his lip as Michael's brows knit together. The red haired boy makes his way towards the nearest mirror, eyebrows raising while he examines the damage Luke has done to his back, smirking a little when he meets the boy's ocean blue eyes once again.

“I didn't know you had it in you, Lukey,” Michael teases, his eyes glinting with amusement as he watches Luke's cheeks redden even further. The younger boy gulps, shrugging shyly, accepting Michael's embrace when he opens his arms for him. “I made pancakes for us,” Michael mumbles, resting his chin atop Luke's blonde head, pulling away regretfully so that he can flip the pancake that;s currently cooking before it burns.

Luke can't help but admire Michel's lean body, his bicep flexing as he lifts the pan so he can flip the pancake perfectly. The tight black boxers are a sharp contrast to the older boy's milky white skin, the thin fabric leaving nothing to the imagination; it's not like Luke doesn't know what's under there anyways. He watches as Michael plates up the pancakes, topping them with whip cream and chocolate syrup, just how Luke likes them, his heart swelling at the reminder of how much Michael _cares_.

He takes the plate from his boyfriend, kissing him sweetly before they sit down at the table, discussing their plans for the day as they stuff their faces with pancakes. “We have work at 11:30, and then maybe we can stop by the clearing?” Michael glances up at Luke then, grinning when he nods in approval. “I love that place,” Luke's eyes sparkle with fondness, his mind wandering back to the night a few months ago, when Michael first said _I love you_ in that very clearing.

...

The morning continues to go by smoothy, Luke and Michael lounging around in bed for another hour or so before they finally got up to get ready for work. The day went the same as always, Alex and Ashton greeting them warmly when they entered the shop, the boys all messing around as much as they could throughout the morning. Things got interesting, however, when the bell above the door rang around midday, all of their heads turning towards the door as a tall man with wild black and blonde hair walked in.

The stranger had a wide smile on his face, and Michael had to do a double take because _wait_ , he's _definitely_ seen this man before. When the man's brown eyes meet his own green ones, everything in his brain clicks instantly, _oh_. “You're the guy Luke bumped into at the grocery store a couple weeks ago!” Michael exclaims, glad that he finally placed this man's face.

The guy chuckles, nodding his head casually, “Yeah, but it's all good man. I'm Jack, by the way,” the stranger, _Jack_ , offers his hand for Michael to shake. The red haired boy takes Jack's hand, eying him warily as he tries to decide if there's anything off about the guy. There was no way that he was going to just trust the guy immediately, he knows better than that.

“So,” Michael clears his throat, meeting Jack's eyes once again. “What brings you here, Jack?” The black and blonde haired boy smiles again at that, holding up the envelope he was carrying for Michael to see, “I saw the help wanted sign. I just moved back here and I'm looking for a job, so I figured why not.” The red haired boy nods slowly, taking the outstretched envelope and glancing down at it briefly.

“Alright man,” Michael shifts around, still unsure of how he should act around this guy. “I'll show this to Alex and if he's interested, he'll get back to you. Alright?” Jack nods briefly, eyes trailing over to where Michael's gaze has drifted, spotting Alex and Luke cleaning up the dining room, laughing at each other effortlessly.

 _Oh my God_.

Jack literally prays that Michael didn't notice the way his eyes just widened comically when he spotted the brown haired boy. No fucking way. Jack fights to gain composure once again, barely managing to offer Michael a small wave goodbye before he's turning on his heel, rushing out the door of the tiny restaurant.

 _Well_ , he sure as fuck wasn't expecting _that_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think is up with Jack and his weird behavior? Talk to me on twitter @fiercelymgc or tumblr cuddles-with-muke xx


	26. It's Just You, The Room, And The Devil On Your Shoulder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY GUYS SERIOUS QUESTION TIME  
> This story still has a good amount of chapters left, but it's some what approaching an end soonish (not that soon don't worry). I'm definitely going to be starting a new chaptered fic because I love writing, and I'll have a lot of time over the summer. I want to do a single father fic because I'm obsessed with them, should I do Muke or Lashton? Would you read? 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy this update! (song is from You, The Room, & The Devil On Your Shoulder by As It Is)

Michael is puttering around the restaurant, cleaning up all the used glassware from the tables that were just vacated, when suddenly Alex's confused voice fills the small dining room. “No fucking way,” the older brunette's jaw is dropped, his warm brown eyes starting down at the application in shock. Michael cocks an eyebrow at his boss, not understanding what the commotion is for, clearing his throat to get the older man's attention.

Alex's head whips up, meeting Michael's confused gaze, “Jack fucking Barakat. Never thought I would hear that name again. We were good, um, friends all throughout high school.” Alex coughs awkwardly, getting himself back together now that the initial shock has passed. Michael smirks at this, “Friends? Whatever you say, man.” The red haired boy claps Alex on the shoulder as he saunters by him, placing the dirty dishes in a bin.

Alex rolls his eyes, throwing a quick “Shut up, Mikey,” over his shoulder before sliding his phone out of his pocket. He enters the number on the application with shaky fingers, taking a deep, steadying breath before he presses the call button. The brunette would be a liar if he said he didn't consider hanging up as soon as he heard the familiar voice sound through the crackly speaker, mumbling a quick “Hello?”

Alex manages to pull himself together quickly, instead letting excitement overtake him as he realizes that yeah, this is _actually_ the boy he knew so well years ago, back in down again, applying for a job at his restaurant. “Jack! You crazy bastard! Come in right now, obviously you can have a fucking job dude! We need to catch up, though.” Alex is smiling wide now, leaning against the counter comfortably as he listens to Jack's reply, the two falling into conversation easily, like they always have.

Jack agrees to come in later that day, and Alex is really excited to see him. Jack left town so abruptly all those years ago, and Alex was really torn up about it at the time, refusing to leave his room for at least a week. He can't help but feel like this is his second chance with the boy he loved so long ago, and maybe things will actually work out this time.

...

Jack runs his fingers through his skunk coloured hair, tugging on the dyed strands harshly as the frustration caused by this whole situation rolls through him. He honestly doesn't know if he can handle being around Alex again, especially this often. The warmed eyed brunette was the whole reason he left town in this first place, and he did _not_ expect to run into him when he came back. With all the talk of hating this town when they were 16, Jack expected Alex to leave this shit hole behind just like he did, moving on to bigger and better things.

Despite all this, Jack knows that he has to deal with this, no matter how shitty it is. He can't show weakness around his father, because weakness means vulnerability, and vulnerability means that his father can hurt him just like his mother did, and he can't have that again. He sighs heavily, standing up and walking over to the small window across from the bed he's been sleeping in. He cracks the window open, the cool breeze on his overheated face welcomed, and he sighs contently as he pulls his cigarettes out of his pocket, lighting one and taking a long drag.

Maybe it won't be so bad?

...

Michael smiles as he and Luke drive home from work that night, the younger boy humming along softly to the State Champs song that's currently playing. “So, How do you feel about this Jack guy?” Michael glances at Luke in the mirror, breathing a sigh of relief when he sees the blonde boy smile slightly, “I like him, actually. For some reason he seems familiar some how. Not just from the grocery store, but the way he acts and carries himself. I find it easy to feel comfortable around him.” Luke rubs his eyes tiredly, curling further into the seat while Michael nods in response.

“I like him too,” He tells the blonde boy, but his protective side perks up a little when the blonde boy says he seems _familiar_. _That's odd_.

Michael figures that the older man will show his true colours soon, and he'll be able to tell if the guy is sincere or not, so there's no point in fretting over it. It seems pretty unfair to automatically jump to conclusions before he even knows anything, he can hardly form an opinion on the guy based only on his paranoid suspicions.

A little voice in the back of his head reminds him that he _does_ have Luke's father to watch out for, so maybe he _does_ have the right to be slightly parinoid when it comes to Luke being around strangers. He doesn't even know the full extent of what the man is capable of, so it's reasonable for him to be more worrisome than usual.

He sighs, pushing the thoughts aside as he grabs Luke's hand, slotting their fingers together gently. He knows that he'll protect the boy with his own life, so all this worrying is probably ridiculous. They'll be fine.


	27. Now The Daylight's Dangerous

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FUCK GUYS IT'S BEEN WAY TOO LONG PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! I currently have exams, and last week was my worst one so I was literally stressing and studying my ass off all week. I'm so sorry, but my last exam is Monday, and after that updates will be very regular since I won't have school to worry about! OH AND, I was gonna make time to update last weekend, but my sunshine Michael got fucking burned and I was worried sick honestly. I found out right when it happened and I had no idea why he ran off stage so I was fucking scared. I ended up having no chill all night so yeah, please understand and forgive me! If you were at that gig I'm so sorry that must have been terrifying for you! I have sooo many ideas for chaptered fics this summer! I plan on writing a ton so don't get sick of me yet ;) you'll be seeing lots of me in the next few weeks. 
> 
> OH and as far as personal life goes, I'M GETTING MY FIRST TATTOO MONDAY TO CELEBRATE MY LAST EXAM/GRADUATION AND I'M EXCITED AS FUCK BECAUSE I'VE WAITED SO LONG TO GET A TATTOO. IT'S GOING TO BE ALL TIME LOW LYRICS. Alright, I'm done now. ENJOY! (title is from Daylight by my babies 5sos)

It's been about a week since Jack started to work at the restaurant, and from what Michael has seen, him and Alex picked things up like they never stopped being friends for all those years. The red haired boy still can't believe their luck, who would have known that they would be able to find someone else who would fit into their weird group of friends?

That's the thing about this restaurant, they aren't just “coworkers” here, they're family. There's no way that they would be able to handle having someone work with them who didn't feel the same way, let alone someone they actually disliked, so they were all really thankful that Jack came along.

Michael watched as the older, skunk haired boy helped Luke with the dishes, teasing the youngest boy playfully, causing a small smile to form on Luke's face. Luke really liked Jack, and the older boy liked him right back, always being the first one to offer help to the blonde boy when there was a big sink full of dishes. Luke's approval is the most important thing to all of them, and the happy vibes that have been floating around the restaurant ever since Jack got hired take a huge weight off of Michael's shoulders. Although the thought of Luke's father is still in the back of Michael's mind, taunting him like it always has and seemingly always _will_ , Michael thinks that he can finally cut back a little on his constant worrying.

Michael is pulled out of his thoughts when he hears the bell above the door ring once again, smiling widely when he sees Calum's tall, tan frame walking through the door. He watches Ashton's face light up, his prominent dimples coming out as he spots his dark haired boyfriend. The tanned boy walks over to Ashton immediately, placing a chaste kiss on the curly haired boy's mouth, only to be interrupted by Michael. “Hey! Keep it PG in the workplace, guys.” Michael scoffs, attempting to keep the grin from reappearing on his face, knowing it would ruin the angry facade.

Ashton promptly flips the red haired boy off, leaning back in the kiss Calum once again, a little more heated this time around. Alex laughs, looking over at Michael from across the room where he's currently mopping, “You're one to talk, Clifford. We put up with you and Luke making out when you think we some how don't notice at least five times a day.”

Michael smirks, shrugging noncommittally, “Fair enough.” The red haired boy turns his gaze to Calum, “So, what brings you here, Cal?” he asks, dropping the teasing tone and replacing it with genuine curiosity. The kiwi boy smiles, “Not much, really. I just felt like popping by to see you guys, I pass this place on the way home from work every day anyways.”

Michael nods, remembering that Calum works at the book store a couple blocks away. “Well you should stop by more often, then. Maybe we could even get together over the weekend some time soon, a celebratory get together to welcome our newest employee.” Michael smirks at Jack, Alex grinning at the suggestion, eager so spend more time with his old friend. “My place, Saturday night?” The older brunette offers, receiving hums of agreement from the other boys. “Sounds like a plan,” Michael says, already looking forward the weekend even though it's only Tuesday. He also wants to get to know the slightly mysterious skunk haired guy, and he's excited to see how this will all play out.

...

Jack rolls his eyes as he pulls out of the drive way of the restaurant, finally leaving that shit hole after an 8 hour fucking shift. He has absolutely no idea how the fuck he's supposed to get the blonde boy to trust him enough that he'll go out with him alone, because he knows that there's no way in hell he's gonna get away with bringing Luke to their father when Michael is around. That stupid over protective prick is making this way more complicated than it needs to me, and Jack honestly can't wait to see the pained look on his face when he realizes that they have his fucking “baby.”

He racks his brain for ideas as he drives the familiar route home, sighing as he pulls onto the street where his father's house is located. He spots the familiar “Hemmings” mailbox at the end of the drive way, eyes widening when an idea suddenly hits him.

Maybe Michael wouldn't let a _stranger_ take Luke out without him, but what if that stranger was his _brother_ , his brother whom they can “trust” because he hasn't lived with the father they fear so much. They'll have absolutely no idea that he has contact with Andrew Hemmings until it's too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @fiercelymgc


	28. He Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, this update took forever. I attended three grads last week, one being my own, then went out of town. On the bright side, it's summer break now so I have more time! Enjoy the chapter :). (Title is lifted from She Makes Dirty Words Sound Pretty by Pierce the Veil)

Michael climbs out of the shower, grabbing the fluffy white towel that he left on the counter, running it over his wet body quickly in a lazy attempt to dry himself off. He wraps the towel around his waist loosely, flicking off the light to the small bathroom as he makes his way out, heading towards him and Luke's shared bedroom.

He sees the blonde boy lounging on the bed when he walks in, eyes glued to the screen of his phone as he watches a Green Day interview, Michael recognizing Billie Joe's voice instantly. He smiles softly, turning towards the closet, pulling out an worn out Metallica shirt and some clean black boxers. He doesn't even notice that the interview stops playing, Luke's breath hitching as Michael drops the towel, an audible whine escaping his lips when the black boxers are suddenly obstructing his view. The younger boy bites his lip as he takes in the fading scratch marks on Michael's back, feeling like he needs to make them dark red again, _right now_.

Michael's head whips around at the sound of Luke's whine, his eyebrows raising quizically as he wonders what's bothering his beautiful boyfriend. However, his concerned expression quickly turns to a smirk as he sees the state of the younger boy, his lower lip caught between his teeth, eyes drifting over Michael's practically naked body hungrily.

The red haired boy grins devilishly, clearing his throat loudly to catch Luke's attention, causing his blue eyes to meet Michael's, his cheeks immediately flushing when he realizes that he was caught staring. Michael makes his way over to the bed slowly, “Like what you see?” He asks the blonde boy teasingly, one hand coming up to grip Luke's jaw and the other grabbing the phone from his hand, tossing it aside as he climbs into his lap.

Luke gulps, unable to help the immediate moan that slips out when Michael's lips touch his jaw, leaving a hot wet trail down his neck. Michael stops when he reaches the dip where Luke's neck meets his shoulder, grazing the skin with his teeth, “Are you horny, baby boy?” Michael questions, his stubble dragging against Luke's overheated skin deliciously, causing him to whimper.

“Y-Yes. Oh my god, yes. Fuck me, Michael.” Luke grips at Michael's back desperately, bucking his hips up in an attempt to get some friction on his aching cock. Michael hums against his skin, brushing his knuckles over the rapidly growing bulge in Luke's tight black jeans, “I think I can do that,” Michael mumbles.

Next thing Luke knows, his back hits the bed softly, a small gasp escaping his lips, cut off by Michael's mouth crashing into his own. Their lips slide together, hot and wet, Michael's hand cradling the back of his neck firmly, his expert fingers tugging on the blonde strands of hair roughly, Luke loving every second of it. Michael is such a good kisser, and Luke can't help but feel completely breathless already, eyes snapping shut when Michael catches his bottom lip between his teeth, pulling back slightly before letting it go.

The older boy's kiss swollen lips trail down to Luke's chest, licking a hot stripe down his neck as he brings his fingers to the buttons of the blonde boy's red and black flannel, revelling in the beautiful sounds tumbling from his lips. He fumbles with the buttons, struggling to get them undone fast enough, before deciding _fuck it_ , ripping them open instead, tossing the shirt away impatiently.

His hands roam over the newly revealed skin greedily, his lips returning to Luke's as he grinds down on him roughly. The kiss is all teeth and tongue, probably way too sloppy but to Michael it's _perfect_. He loves being with Luke like this, fingers flying down to tug as his belt impatiently, sighing in relief when he finally gets it off, ripping his jeans and boxers off in one go.

Luke gasps as the cool air hits his hard on, “ _Please_ Michael. I need you s-so b-bad.” Michael smirks, leaning in to nibble at Luke's ear as he whispers, “You need my big cock, baby? Want it inside you? I know you love the feeling of being full, right baby boy?”

Luke's nails dig into Michael's back as he nods frantically, eyes blown wide with lust as they meet Michael's. “Use your words baby,” Michael demands, his voice rough as he ghosts a finger over Luke's entrance, causing the younger boy to choke on his words. “F-Fuck, _yes Michael_. I love being stretched by your big cock. Fuck me so hard that I won't be able to walk for a w-week, I want everyone to know h-how good you are.”

Michael growls at this, fingers flying down to grip at the base of Luke's dick, pumping slowly, “Fuck, babe.” He reaches into the beside table, finding the lube quickly, immediately drizzling some of the cool substance on his fingers. Michael traces Luke's hole with his finger, spreading the cool substance around, inserting the digit slowly.

Soon enough, Michael was three fingers deep, skillfully avoiding Luke's prostate, much to the younger boy's dismay. “ _P-Please_ ,” the blonde boy manages to choke out, a thin layer of sweat covering his entire body as he gasps for breath. Michael takes pity on him, reaching for the lube to slick himself up, grabbing a pillow and propping it under Luke's hips. He threads his fingers through Luke's, kissing the spot below his ear as he lines himself up. “I love you, love you so much,” the older boy breathes out, pushing into his beautiful boyfriend slowly.

Luke squeezes Michael's hand, smiling softly. The older boy never fails to be gentle with Luke, even in moments where they get a little bit carried away, he always makes sure that Luke knows he's safe and loved. As Michael thrusts into him slowly, brushing a sweaty strand of golden hair out of his face, Luke decides that he's never felt more _loved_ than when he's with Michael like this. “Faster,” He gasps out, moaning loudly when the red haired boy hits his prostate, _hard_.

Michael brushes his thumb over the back of Luke's hand gently, his hips snapping into the younger boy at lightning speed, eyes squeezing shut as his entire body shudders from the intense pleasure. A moan escapes from Michael's lips, his stomach clenching as Luke's nails drag down his back, “Are you gonna come for me baby?” He questions, his free hand flying down to pump Luke's aching dick, pulling a loud moan from the back of the younger boy's throat as he nods slightly.

The red haired boy ducks down, nipping at Luke's sweet spot, sending the younger boy over the edge with a shout of his name. Michael follows soon after, biting down on the skin of the blonde boy's neck as his orgasm hits him, soothing it with his tongue as he comes down from his high. He leans up to kiss Luke's sweaty forehead, “I'm going to get something to clean us up.” Luke mumbles an agreement, closing his eyes as Michael gets up, shivering from the lack of body heat when the older boy is gone.

Michael is back a moment later, a wet cloth in his hand. He cleans Luke off gently, then himself before climbing into the bed, bringing the younger boy close to his chest. He smiles when Luke falls asleep immediately, a peaceful smile on his face as he snores softly.

...

Michael smiles widely, belting along to Shut Up by Blink as he turns onto Alex's street, Luke joining him as the chorus rolls around again. He's excited to hang out with everyone, curious to see what Jack will be like outside of the restaurant, when they can do whatever the fuck they want without the fear of looking “unprofessional.”

He shuts off the radio as they pull into Alex's driveway, turning to Luke and offering him a soft smile, “Ready to go?” He questions, leaning in for a kiss once the blonde boy nods. He gets out and walks around the passenger side, opening the door for Luke and helping him out, a habit that he never dropped. He grabs the dessert they picked up earlier from the backseat before leading Luke to the front door, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze as he reaches up to ring the doorbell.

Alex greets them with a big smile, pulling both of them in for a hug, “My favourite employees are here!” The brunette shouts excitedly, winking at them as Ashton yells from the living room, “What about me?!” Alex shrugs, grabbing the food from Michael and returning to the room where everyone else is sat around the tv, the football game playing loudly. Ashton smiles at the couple when they walk in, knowing the joking is all in good fun, Alex loves them all like little brothers.

The two boys join the others, Michael pulling Luke onto his lap as they settle into the couch with the others. Michael doesn't really care for football, but he's completely content with watching Luke instead, smiling widely as the blonde boy yells at the players running across the screen animatedly.

The night flies by smoothly, the boys stuffing their faces with all the different foods set out in front of them, everyone but Michael keeping their eyes glued to the screen as the game comes to a close. Michael alternates from watching Luke to keeping an eye on Jack, still slightly cautious around the newest member of their little friend group. He seems harmless though, yelling along with everyone else when the wrong team scores, or a player does something completely stupid.

Michael decides that he can finally fully relax around the guy, smiling while he watches Jack and Luke complain about some asshole on the other team. Everyone is getting ready to leave, Ashton and Calum saying goodbye to Alex by the door, the older man hugging both of them tightly. Michael sneaks up behind Luke, hugging his waist from behind, interrupting his conversation with Jack when he leans in to whisper in his ear, “Ready to go, babe?”

Luke melts into Michael's touch immediately, nodding to his boyfriend before smiling apologetically at Jack, “I'll see you at work tomorrow?” Jack nods, “Definitely, but why don't I give you my number and we can hang out outside of work more often? Tonight was fun.”

Luke smiles at the older man, nodding and reaching into his pocket, grabbing his phone and exchanging it for Jack's. He types in his name and number, settling for a simple “Luke :),” handing the phone back to Jack when he was finished. Jack smiled, finishing typing his number into Luke's as well and handing the phone back. Luke, however, dropped the phone immediately, the device hitting the floor with a crack, causing Michael's head to whip around from where he was facing Alex, his face filling with concern.

Luke just shook his head frantically, hand coming up to cover his mouth. The picture of the name on the screen burning into his brain as he fought to calm his breathing.

“Jack Hemmings”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> talk to me on twitter! @fiercelymgc


	29. Trigger My Nightmare Once Again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit is starting to pick up. I hope you guys enjoy this! Oh and this is my tattoo! I remember someone wanting a link to a picture and I forgot last update https://twitter.com/fiercelymgc/status/613096953472253952
> 
> (Title is from The Divine Zero by PTV)

Luke feels his stomach turning unpleasantly, his screaming thoughts swirling around his brain, and he's sure that he's going to pass out, throw up, or _both_. So, he does the only thing he can think of.

 _He runs_.

Luke pushes past everyone, not even caring that he knocked over an empty beer bottle in his rush to get to the door, into the fresh air.

Michael jumps at the sickening smash of the beer bottle against the hardwood floor, running after his distressed boyfriend not even a second later. He distantly hears the shouts of everyone behind him, the glass from the broken beer bottle crunching under his black boots as he bolts to the door, his head spinning. The only thought that he can focus on is _Luke Luke Luke_ , he _has_ to get to Luke. His baby _needs_ him.

He throws the door to Alex's house open, his eyes flickering around the yard for a moment, a sigh of relief falling from his lips when he spots Luke standing beside the porch. The relief only lasts for a minute though, quickly changing to concern when he sees the younger boy's head in his hands, his fragile frame shaking.

The red haired boy rushes over to him, touching his arm hesitantly, in fear that he would scare the boy, “Baby? Talk to me, what's wrong?” Luke begins shaking his head again, turning towards the bush behind him, throwing up all over it.

Michael fights to keep his breathing at bay, his hands shaking as he rubs at Luke's back, his stomach twisting uncomfortably as he too has the urge to throw up. Something doesn't feel right, and if whatever happened when Michael wasn't paying attention was enough to cause Luke to act like _this_ , it had to be pretty bad.

Luke cringes once he's finished retching, spitting into the bushes as he tries to rid his mouth of the awful taste. He feels Michael touch his forehead gently, brushing the sweaty hair from his face in an attempt to calm him down, he assumes. “Take me home. Now.”

Michael nods immediately, determined to do anything that will make Luke feel better at the moment. He wraps his arm around Luke's waist, the younger boy leaning on him heavily as he makes his way over to their car, placing Luke in the passenger seat gently. My chest feels tight with worry as I kiss Luke's forehead gently, walking around to the driver side and getting in, pulling the door closed.

Michael put the keys in the ignition, glancing up at the house as he prepares to pull away. His eyes lock with Alex's warm brown ones, illuminated by the dim porch light. His expression apologetic, filled with concern as Michael offers him a small wave, looking over his shoulder to make sure there's no traffic before pulling out to begin the journey home.

He watches Luke chew his nails nervously, his blue eyes watching the city pass by through the small car window. Michael fiddles with the sleeves of his black long sleeve shirt, itching to ask Luke more questions, but he knows the blonde boy needs time to gather his thoughts. His mind wanders as the street lights flash by, going over the events of the night and trying to figure out what could have caused Luke this much distress.

It feels like an eternity before he's finally pulling into the parking lot of their small apartment building, parking in their usual spot before going around to Luke's side of the car. His stomach bubbles with anxiety as he unbuckles the blonde boy carefully, gently lifting him from the car and kicking the door closed with his foot. He's worried that Luke is going to close himself off again, refusing to talk to anyone, even Michael, but he knows better than to push it.

He makes his way up the stairs, smiling despite the situation when Luke cuddles into him, pressing his cheek against the older boy's chest. At least he still finds comfort in Michael's touch, the red haired boy feels like a weight is lifted off his shoulders at this realization.

When they reach their apartment, Michael manages to unlock the door with one hand, swinging the old thing open with a creak. He places Luke down on their worn out couch gently, leaving a lingering kiss on his forehead before turning to the kitchen, beginning to heat some milk for hot chocolate. Once he's out of the younger boy's sight he sighs quietly, digging the heels of his hands into his eyes, a headache throbbing at his temples.

Once the milk is heated, he mixes the chocolatey drink, bringing it over to Luke who is now cuddled into a soft white blanket that was previously hanging over the back of the couch. He hands the boy his drink, waiting for him to take a small sip before bringing his fingers up under his chin, lifting the ocean blue gaze until it meets his own. “What's wrong, baby? Please talk to me.”

Luke sighs softly, wrapping his hands around the mug, the warmth seeping into his skin. “Jack put his contact name in my phone as 'Jack Hemmings'” Luke whispers, a shiver running through his body. Michael's eyes widen, his stomach flipping as he thinks about what this could mean.

Luke senses Michael's curiousity, can pratically see the gears turning in the older boy's head as everything clicks together. “My mom,” he begins, setting the mug of hot liquid on the table so that he can snuggle further into Michael, resuming speaking once his face is resting in the warm skin of Michael's neck. “She left when I was really young. I guess she just decided that drugs and alcohol were more important to her than a family...”

Michael nods slowly, his mind flashing back to when he first met Luke, when the younger boy said the story of his parents would be left for another day. He just slots his fingers with Luke's, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze as he waits for him to continue. Luke squeezes back, taking a deep breath, “My dad has mentioned having another kid with her, but I always thought he was just crazy. I guess I figured I would never find out if it's true or not anyways, so there was no point in worrying about it.”

A sick feeling burns in Michael's stomach, even if Jack has been with his mom his whole life, and probably has no idea how crazy his father is, how the hell is he supposed to trust one of Luke's family members after what has happened in the past? He swallows the lump in his throat, knowing that this needs to be discussed further. “Well, do you think he has a connection with your dad at all?”

Luke shakes his head immediately, “My dad didn't even give me the time of day and I _lived_ with him. Obviously the whole gay thing put up a barrier, but even before that he wanted nothing to do with me. I doubt he would want to have any contact with another child if he didn't have to.” Michael bites his lip, unsure if Luke is right, or if he should pick up and run away with Luke. Away to a place where his shitty family members can't get to him.

The red haired boy turns to Luke, deciding that it should be his decision after all. “Do you want to pick up and leave? Or do you think we should give him a chance?” Michael asks the question wearily, his thumb rubbing soft circles over the back of Luke's hand. The blonde boy takes a moment to think his answer over, “I think we should give him a chance. I can't go assuming that everyone is going to act the way my father did.”

Michael hums in agreement, but in the back of his mind he knows that he's going to be keeping a _very_ close eye on Jack until he feels like he can trust him. He doesn't give a fuck if it's “judgemental,” Luke's father traumatized him, and Michael doesn't want to see him hurt like that again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Predictions? xx


	30. AUTHOR'S NOTE

Okay guys, I have a bunch of ideas for new fics, but I have two that I really want to write next and I can't decide which one to do first. So I'm going to give a rough summary of each idea and I would really appreciate if you told me which one you would prefer I do next :). 

Lashton Single Father AU

Idfk I'm just obsessed with single father AUs. Basically I was thinking Ashton has a daughter with a crazy ex, and in order to keep her safe he has to move from Australia to America so that she can't find them. Michael is like his best friend who basically feels like a little brother to him (he'll be a few years younger in this fic), and his family is homophobic assholes so Ashton takes him to Australia with them so he can get away. Ashton sees Luke around and thinks he's really cute even if he's younger, then Michael happens to befriend him and bring him home from school one day. Eventually they fall for each other and all that jazz. 

Muke girly Luke AU

I'm also fucking obsessed with girly Luke, no shame. So in this one Luke loves to shop for dresses at hot topic, and when his town opens a new hot topic he has to go get first dibs. There he sees hot topic worker Mikey and instantly thinks he's the most beautiful boy Luke has ever seen. He keeps making excuses to go back to hot topic in hopes that Michael will be working and he'll get to sneak in some staring. One day when people at his new school are giving him a hard time, badass Mikey comes and saves the day, immediately recognizing Luke as the beautiful boy he always sees at work. Obviously they end up talking after this, Michael asks for Luke's number next time he seems him in hot topic or whatever. 

Yes, I know these are kind of cliche, but let's not lie here we all love the cliche stuff. Your feedback means a lot! xx, love you all!


	31. Put Me Through Hell And I'll Make You See

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS ATL AND SWS ARE TOURING AND IM GETTING TICKETS AND WOW THIS IS JUST GREAT I CANT WAIT TO SEE THEM AGAIN. I needed to fangirl about that. ANYWAYS, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Thanks again to everyone who gave feedback on the author's note last update! If you didn't, I would love to hear your opinion so you should read it! (Title is from kick me by sws)

Eventually, Michael gets Luke cleaned up, running a warm bubble bath for him, scrubbing his scalp gently with mint shampoo. He tucks the blonde boy into bed, kissing his temple softly before crawling into the bed behind him, immediately pulling Luke's body towards his own. Once Luke's back is pressed against his chest, he nuzzles his face into the back of the younger boy's neck, kissing the warm skin. “Get some sleep, baby. I love you so much,” he mumbles, threading his fingers with Luke's and giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

“Love you too,” Luke whispers, snuggling back into Michael's warmth as he closes his eyes, waiting for sleep to take over. Just as he drifts off, his body on the very edge of conciousness, he thinks about how lucky he is to have someone like Michael in his life. Although the thought of dealing with this whole Jack situation, and the fear that his father will find him is completely terrifying, he knows in his heart that Michael will do whatever it takes to make him safe, and for that he is forever thankful.

...

Michael's eyes blink open, the dim grey light of their bedroom slowly coming into focus. His gaze drifts over the the window, covered in raindrops as it continues to pour down, the soothing sound of the drops hitting the roof soothing enough to tempt him into staying in bed. He closes his eyes for a few more minutes, inhaling the soothing scent of mint shampoo and clean sheets as he wills himself to get out of bed and call Alex.

He knows he needs to talk to the older boy as soon as possible, not only to _explain_ what had Luke so freaked out, but also so he can find out what happened when they left. He wonders if Jack had any sort of reaction to the situation, anything that could give away whether or not he already knew Luke is his brother. Michael briefly wonders if Jack did this _intentionally_ , luring Luke in until he could eventually find a way to spill the secret. He shakes his head quickly, knowing that he doesn't have nearly enough information to make any assumptions. What he _needs_ to do is call the one person who can possibly give him answers right now.

With that thought, Michael searches the house for his phone, struggling to remain quiet as he rummages around, eventually finding it in the pocket of his abandonned skinny jeans. He closes the door to the bedroom carefully, padding over to the kitchen as he unlocks his phone, smiling despite the situation when he sees several worried texts from both Alex and Ashton. He doesn't know what he did to deserve such amazing friends.

Michael finally clicks on Alex's contact name, pressing call as he holds the phone up to his ear, chewing on his nails nervously as he waits for Alex to pick up. He doesn't know what he's going to say to the older boy, his thoughts swirling around his head like an angry tornado. There's so much that Alex doesn't know, so much that Michael will have to _explain_ so that this all makes sense to the brunette, so that he can get all the information he needs to keep Luke _safe_.

Alex picks up on the second ring, the relief in his voice evident even through the crackly speaker of Michael's shitty phone. “Mikey! Oh my god dude, I've been so worried! How are you? Wait, actually, how is _Luke_?” Alex babbles, his concern putting a small smile on Michael's face.

“He's, I'm good,” Michael tells him, pausing for a moment as he thinks over his response. “Well, as good as we can be, I suppose,” he adds, looking down as his bitten nails as he ignores the urge to start chewing them again. Alex sighs, and Michael hears rustling in the background, probably Alex laying down, preparing himself for the weight of this conversation.

“Well,” the older boy starts, pausing as he waits for Michael to gather his thoughts. “Why don't you just start from the beginning, alright? Tell me everything, Michael.” Alex's voice is firm, yet it still holds the softness that reminds Michael that he cares, and that's why he's demanding answers. He runs his fingers through his messy red hair, taking a deep breath before beginning.

“I'm just going to tell you everything, start to finish, and then you can tell me what you think from there. Okay?” Michael bites his lips when he's finished, and Alex makes a sound of agreement as he waits for Michael to go on. The younger boy begins his story, trying not to leave out any important details that could help them figure this out. He feels like a weight is lifted off his chest once everything is out there, the secrets that both him and Luke have been keeping for months all coming out. It's actually quite refreshing.

Alex lets out a long, shaky breath, “Wow. Dude, that's fucking crazy. You know I love Luke, and I'll do whatever I can to protect him.” Michael nods to himself, a warm feeling spreading through his chest at confirmation that they're not alone, they have other people in their life who want to protect Luke as well.

“What happened after we left? Did you notice anything suspicious about Jack's reaction? I mean, you grew up with him, right? Has he ever mentioned his dad?” Michael knows he's rambling, but he feels like he needs these questions answered _now_ , before he explodes.

“No man, he looked just as concerned as the rest of us, honestly. When we were younger, I was at Jack's house more than I was at my own, but he never mentioned contacting his dad. His mom was pretty shitty, always drinking and sleeping around, so he was usually at the house himself. If anything, he always talked about how much he hated his father for leaving him alone with his drunk mother.” Michael turned this information over in his mind, deciding that maybe Jack isn't necessarily a threat, but that doesn't mean he's just going to trust the guy.

“Do you think he knew before we found out? Obviously now that you know everything, you can see why Luke and I would be worried about his safety being threatened.” Michael gets up, making his way to cupboard so he can pull out some coffee and start the machine.

“I've always thought that Jack was an amazing guy, Mikey. A little rough around the edges, but how could he not be considering what he's been through? After this, I'm not even sure what to think. I'm not going to put the same amount of trust into him as I would have before, but I don't want to automatically assume the worst.” Alex tells him, and Michael can hear the conflict in his voice. The red haired boy sighs, reaching for a mug to pour his coffee in once it's finished.

“I just wonder what he's been up to all these years where you didn't have contact with him. What if he's around here because he has contact with his father now, and he knows about what happened with him and Luke? I can't help but be nervous, you know?” Michael struggles to keep his voice down, knowing that Luke does not need to be awake for this conversation. He's already scared enough as it is. Alex sighs deeply, “I know, Mike. I think we just need to keep an eye out for anything suspicous. If he does have malicious intent, we don't want him to know we're suspicous.” Michael hums in agreement, pouring the hot black coffee into his mug, slowly mixing in the milk and sugar.

He knows that he might just be totally parinoid, more likely than not, Jack probably hasn't talked to his father since the day he left him. It's not like Luke's father would care enough to contact him, he's the one that left in the first place. Despite this, Michael can't get rid of the nerves that bubble in his stomach as he sits back down at the worn kitchen table with his hot coffee mug, running his fingers through his fire red hair in frustration.

He just hopes he can keep the beautiful blonde boy safe.


	32. You're The Snake Hidden In My Daffodils

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! title is from the irony of choking on a lifesaver by atl! love you all xx

Once Luke wakes up, Michael makes sure he pampers him the enitre day. He plays the song he wrote for him, makes him his homemade spaghetti, and then they finish the day off by snuggling up in front of the t.v. and watching Mean Girls.

Luke smiles widely most of the day, humming along when Michael plays, and even participating in a mini tomato sauce food fight while they were making dinner. It makes the older boy smile too, the relief he feels washing over him as he realizes that even if shit is going to get complicated with work, and being around Jack, they'll always have moments like these. They'll always have each other.

Michael even makes Luke a mug of hot chocolate, spoiling him by adding extra mashmellows and chocolate syrup, to calm him down enough to go to sleep. He knows the younger boy is dreading work tomorrow, where he knows they'll have to face Jack and talk about what happened, and why he reacted the way he did. In all honesty, Michael is dreading it too.

The red haired boy has no idea how this situation will play out, but he made sure to discuss the plans with Luke over dinner. Although they both agreed that the best option is to explain to Jack that they are in fact brothers, Michael knows that Luke doesn't trust Jack at all. He texted Alex earlier, asking him to explain everything to Ashton so all three boys could be on high alert at work the next day. There is no way that Michael will let Jack go through with any mallicious plans he may have, no matter what the cost.

...

Luke feels the nerves burning in his stomach as soon as he wakes up the next morning, his mind immediately wandering to what will happen once he's faced with Jack. He's scared that Jack will out him to his father, but he's also scared that Jack won't wont a gay brother, that the last family member he has will reject him just like all the others. Despite the fact that Jack has been nothing but nice to him since the first day they met, he can't rid himself of the fear that he'll remove himself from Luke's life because of this.

He feels Michael stir behind him, the arm that he has wrapped around Luke's waist tightening, pulling the blonde boy closer to him and kissing the back of his neck. “Morning, baby,” the red haired boy mumbles, making Luke smile. He turns around in Michael's embrace, his blue eyes meeting Michael's sleepy green ones.

“Morning,” he replies, moving in to kiss Michael softly, the older boy's hand coming up to cup his cheek. Luke sighs happily, pulling back and resting his head on Michael's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. He reminds himself that regardless of what happens when they walk into the restuarant today, he has Michael, he'll _always_ have Michael.

“Why don't we shower quickly and then I'll make us some breakfast before we leave for work?” Michael suggests, running his fingers through Luke's sleep matted hair. The blonde boy nods in agreement, following Michael to the bathroom. It feels nice to clean off the sweat that Luke feels sticking to his body after a fitful sleep. He's almost anxious to leave the house and go to work so that he can stop worrying about what will happen; at least once he sees Jack he won't have to keep wondering how things will be after last night.

He eats the pancakes Michael makes for them, smiling at the fact that he put extra chocolate chips, probably because he can sense Luke's nerves. Once they're dressed and in the car, Michael puts on the new Pierce the Veil song he knows Luke loves, singing along softly and giving Luke's hand a comforting squeeze every once in a while.

Once they pull into the parking lot of the restaurant, Michael pulls the keys out of the ignition, the music cutting off, leaving the car completely silent as he turns to look at Luke. “You know that if either one of us have any bad feelings about this, we're out of here, right?” The older boy's warm green eyes burn into Luke's as he keeps his gaze on him, “The second we think that he might have a connection with your dad we'll pack up and run. Your safety is my number one prority, Lukey. Always.”

Luke feels his heart swell, the feeling of gratitude that he has for Michael almost overwhelming. He nods in response, “I love you,” he simply says, knowing that it's enough for Michael, that he'll understand how grateful he is without him having to say it.

Michael smiles, leaning in to kiss Luke softly before he reaches for the door handle, his gaze flickering towards Jack's car two parking spaces over. “Ready to go?” He asks, Luke biting his lip nervously as he nods.

“Now or never,” The younger boy says, letting Michael open his door for him, his fingers lacing with Luke's as they enter the restaurant, the chiming of the bell a familiar comfort that helped ease Luke's nerves a bit.

Alex and Jack were stood behind the counter, their faces close together as they talked in hush voices. Their heads whipped up at the sound of the bell, Alex sighing in relief when he saw the couple stood their, immediately coming around the counter to pull Luke into a warm embrace. “You scared us all buddy,” the older brunette mumbles, holding Luke close.

Michael smiles at the two, happy to see that Luke was finding comfort in their friend's embrace. “Sorry,” He mumbles quietly, smiling shyly at Alex when he pulls away. The moment is interrupted when Jack coughs from behind them, awkwardly making his way around the counter and looking at Luke with an apologetic gaze.

“I'm so sorry if I scared you man, I obviously had no idea that we're, well, brothers, I guess.” Jack looks sincere as he holds Luke's gaze, “I swear I haven't talked to my asshole of a father since he left my mom and I all those years ago. I assumed he's a douche, but I had no idea of the extent until now, and I definitely don't share those opinions.” Michael watches the man carefully, deciding that he doesn't really detect any mallicious intent. Jack seems to be genuinely sorry about the way this all came to be, and Michael decides that as long as Luke agrees, he's willing to give Jack a small sliver of his trust. He still plans on watching him, but he's not quite as worried as he was previously. Luke moves closer to Michael, the red head reaching out for him instinctively, pulling him close. The blonde boy nods, “Okay, thank you.”

Jack smiles, “No problem, man. I had no idea that I even had a sibling, but I'm glad that I know now and we can hopefully get to know each other a bit better?” He looks at Luke in a way that Michael almost thinks is hopeful.

Luke nods again, “I think I would like that.”


	33. Musn't Get Our Feet Wet, Cause That Leads To Regret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: sorry that this is short af, but it's an extremely important chapter regardless, and I'll try to update again tomorrow to make up for it! I hope you enjoy! ALSO, how do you guys like she's kinda hot? It totally slayed me. I'm so impressed/proud! (title is from little bird by ed sheeran, one of my favs) xx

It's been a couple weeks since things were cleared up with Jack, and Michael thinks that everything has been going really well. He's glad that Luke has the opportunity to get to know the only family member left that hasn't rejected him, and he feels that this could really help Luke come to terms with his past and everything that went on with his father. He knows that the younger boy has opened up to Jack about what it was like growing up with the man, and although Jack wasn't in the same position, he can relate to the blonde boy because he too grew up in an unstable environment.

As much as Michael wishes he could give Luke everything he needs to get over the trauma, he can't, so he really appreciates that Jack has been giving his time to the younger boy. It seems that the brothers are always together when they're all at the restaurant, talking in hushes voices while they do the dishes or clean the tables. Michael doesn't mind. He's with Luke all night at home anyways, just the two of them alone in their apartment, snuggled up on the couch watching Netflix. If spending more time with Jack at work is what Luke needs to close the wounds that still remain unhealed, Michael will take it.

The red haired boy is willing to do whatever it takes to give the blonde boy peace of mind.

...

Jack climbs into his car, running his fingers through his hair as he lets out a long sigh. He looks up just in time to see Luke and Michael exiting the restaurant, the small blonde waving at him, a shy smile on his face. The skunk haired man waves, forcing himself to smile back so that the couple doesn't get suspicious. The problem is that it wasn't forced because he doesn't give a shit about the kid, it was forced because he feels _guilty_.

It's a foreign feeling for him, something he hasn't felt in years. The last time he felt guilt was when he left Alex all those years ago, completely fleeing the city because he knew that if he stayed here with his mother he would literally go insane. In all the years that have past since then, he's been pushing all his emotions aside, burying them deeper and deeper until eventually, he just didn't feel at all.

It almost feels like he's been dead all these years, surviving but not _living_ , just the empty shell of a broken boy who has been hurt too many times in the past. Suddenly, he regrets everything he's done. Regrets working with his father, regrets letting himself get so invested in this bastard's sick plan to hunt Luke down, regrets giving him any clues as to where the younger boy can be found. He knows that Luke doesn't deserve any of this, just an innocent kid who was forced to grow up too fast, who has seen far too many of life's hardships in the short amount of time he's been on this earth.

Being around the boy, seeing the way his ocean blue eyes light up when he laughs at a joke Jack makes, the way they sparkle when he watches Michael from across the room, it reminds him of what it was like to live. He feels like he's looking at his teenage self, happy despite the fact that he had been through hell and back, looking at Alex like he was the light of his life, _because he was_. Alex was the only thing keeping him from becoming the monster that he is today, and he'll never regret anything more than he regrets leaving the boy when he did.

He rests his head against the cool steering wheel, a whole new wave of regret washing over him when he realizes that Alex probably won't forgive him for this. He almost wants to punch himself when he realizes how much he's let his asshole of a father corrupt him, completely brainwashing him into agreeing with his sick mindset. He really fucked up this time, and he knows what he did is unforgivable, but he also knows that he has to do everything in his power to fix his mistake. He has no idea how he's going to dig himself out of the hole he's trapped himself in, but he does know one thing.

The only way this asshole is going to get to Luke is over his dead body.


	34. They're Coming Creeping From The Corner, And All I Know Is That I Don't Feel Safe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS, IM GOING TO THE APMAS TOMORROW AND WARPED FRIDAY AND IM LOWKEY FREAKING THE FUCK OUT. Because of that, I probably won't update until sunday, but yeah, here's this. Hopefully you like it!
> 
> ALSO, this story is coming to an end very soon. It's kind of sad because it's my first fic, and it's been something I've worked on so long now, but there's only a few more chapters left, not exactly sure how many though. ANYWAYS, I'll be posting the first chapter of my new girly Luke and Punk hot topic worker Michael fic very very soon! I want that to be started as this one comes to an end, so look forward to that if you're interested! xx (title is from nightmare by Set It Off)

Michael hums along to Always (by blink if you don't know already) from where it plays through the fuzzy old speakers that sit on the bathroom counter, reaching for the shampoo where it rests on a little shelf built into the shower beside him. He pours some into his palm, scrubbing it through his hair as he bobs his head along to the music. He's too caught up in what he's doing to notice the door to the bathroom opening, still singing along loud enough to drown out the sound of Luke's belt hitting the floor while he finishes rinsing the suds out of his hair.

Needless to say, he's jumps a little in surprise when he hears the curtain opening, head whipping around to find his beautiful blonde boyfriend stepping in. He smiles at the boy, “Couldn't resist joining me?” Michael winks, leaning in to kiss the boy softly as his cheeks heat up, a pretty pink flush spreading over them.

Michael switches their positions so that Luke is under the warm stream of water, wetting the golden strands of hair so that he can apply the shampoo. The younger boy leans into him, sighing contently as Michael's fingers massage the product into his scalp. “Are you looking forward to lunch with Jack tomorrow?” Michael tries to bring the subject up subtly, the protective side of him needing to know how Luke feels, but not wanting to make the boy feel like a child.

He spins Luke around as he waits for his response, partly because he wants to see his face so that he can gauge the boy's reaction himself, partly because he needs his head under the shower spray so he can rinse the shampoo out. He's happy to see Luke smiling as he nods, “Yeah, I am. I'm really glad that I have the opportunity to get to know him.”

Michael smiles in return, leaning in to kiss Luke's forehead. “Me too, baby. Me too.”

...

Calum pulls into the parking lot of his apartment complex, hoping that Ashton will be home from work by now so that they can cuddle up on the couch and watch movies all night. He's tired from a long day at work, and he can't wait to kick his feet up on their coffee table and stuff his face with cheap pizza. He pulls the key from the ignition once he's parked, jumping out of the car eagerly as he begins the short walk to the building. He stops dead in his tracks when something catches his eye, or rather, _someone_. The same someone he saw lingering in the bushes what feels like so long ago, who he had _totally_ forgotten about. The man is dressed in all black, just like he was before, his hood making it impossible for Calum to see any of his features. Either way, this is the same guy from before, Calum is sure of that.

The man seems to notice Calum staring at him, whipping around and running into the forest in what appears like a panicked manner. The motion causes his hood to fall down, Calum catching a glimpse of what he _swears_ is skunk coloured hair. It takes the boy a moment to place where he's seen that before, but as soon as he does he gasps immediately, a shiver running through his body as he rushes into building, bolting up the stairs into his and Ashton's shared apartment. He slams the door shut, leaning back against it and sliding to the ground as he attempts to catch his breath enough to organize his thoughts.

He doesn't even notice ashton entering the room from the kitchen, his voice startling Calum out of his thoughts, his head whipping up from where it was resting between his bent knees. “Cal? What's wrong babe?” Ashton leans down so that they're eye level, concern knitting his brows together as he places a comforting hand on his boyfriend's shoulder.

“Jack, Ashton. I don't think he's who he says he is.” Calum chokes the words out, accepting Ashton's warm embrace, thankful for the body heat as another shiver hits him. “I got home from work, and as I was walking into the building I saw someone dressed in all black. I saw the guy before, a while ago, but I just assumed it was nothing. This guy has been scoping out our apartment, Ash.”

An unsettling feeling bubbles in Ashton's stomach. He knows the past that Luke has had with his family, and he knows that he needs to tell Michael this information, immediately. It doesn't matter if the boy has been nothing but nice to Luke since the family bond was discovered, for all they know, it could be total bullshit. He knows that this is very important information in order to keep Luke safe, so he drags Calum up to his feet, pulling him out of the apartment and heading towards Michael's.

As the couple rush up the stairs towards Michael and Luke's apartment, the sick feeling in Ashton's stomach intensifies.

They're fucked.


	35. This Ride Is A Wild One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! This update took forever, but this week was fucking insane. APMAs were literally AMAZING, I touched 3/4 of pierce the veil's hands, and Patty from as it is held my hand too. The show was fucking amazing. Then I went to warped and had heat stroke but it was 100% worth it. 
> 
> The new chapter is going to be a huge one, and I'm really emotional because this story only has a few more chapters left. It literally feels like my baby, and I cant believe it's coming to an end. BUT because it's coming to an end, that means it's time for a new story. I really hope you guys like the new story, I'll be posting the first chapter later tonight so please check it out? It might even be up by the time you're reading this. 
> 
> (title is from missing you by atl)

Jack _runs_. He runs as fast and long as he can, only stopping when his lungs can't take it anymore, collapsing on the ground on the other side of the small wooded area that he's hiding in. He's so fucking _stupid_.

He knew that it was a bad idea to come back near the apartment, he could have easily went somewhere else in town, turned down an abandoned street and just parked there for two hours so that his father would _think_ he was out scoping Luke's apartment building. Even if he had no plans to tell his father about anything he saw today, it was stupid of him to go near the apartment building in the first place. There's no way in hell that he's going to convince the Calum kid that he didn't mean any harm by being there, that he's changed his mind and he's trying to _help_ them.

Jack knows that the kid has already run inside by now, told his curly haired boyfriend who will drag him over to Michael's house to break the news to the other couple. He supposes it doesn't really matter anyways, today was supposed to be a last minute check up to be sure that everything will go as planned tomorrow anyways. In less than 24 hours, the boys will already know exactly what's been going on the last few months, so it really doesn't make a difference if they are suspicious of him tonight or not.

He knows what he's going to do tomorrow, and if anything he's glad that they have some sort of warning, maybe they'll be even more prepared tomorrow that way? He sighs, putting his head in his hands and tugging on his hair harshly, a nervous habit that he can't seem to get rid of. He hopes he can stop the bastard that is his father tomorrow before he even gets anywhere near Luke, but he also knows that there's a strong possibility that it will be impossible.

All he can do is try.

...

Michael jumps in surprise when there's frantic knocking at the door to their apartment, confusion flooding through him as he drops the spoon he was holding to stir the spaghetti sauce, rushing over to open the door. He approaches it cautiously, hesitantly peering through the newly installed peep hole in case there's someone who he should not let in on the other side.

When he sees who's been pounding on their door, he feels both relieved and even more confused, automatically flinging the door open. _“Ashton?... Calum?”_

Michael leads the couple into the apartment, concerned eyes meeting Luke's as the blonde boy comes out of the room, curious about the commotion. Ashton is babbling on, speaking so quickly that it's literally incomprehensible. He sits the two boys down at the kitchen table, pulling Luke onto his lap across from them. “Alright, why don't you take a deep breath and tell me whats up?” The red haired boy suggests, trying to remain calm despite the nerves burning in his stomach.

Ashton breathes in deeply, letting it exhale shakily as he meets Michael's concerned green eyes. The curly haired boy bites his lip, hating to be the bearer or bad news. “Calum came home from work, and when he pulled up in the parking lot he saw someone hiding in the trees behind our house, watching the apartment building.” Ashton glances down as he sees the panic darken Michael's green irises, taking another breath before he meets Michael's gaze once again.

“Mikey... He's pretty sure the guy out there was Jack.”

Michael's blood goes cold, fury quickly taking over all other emotions. His grip immediately tightens on Luke, and he presses a soft kiss to the blonde boy's neck when he feels him shaking, knowing that it's important for everyone to stay calm in this situation. “Well, by the looks of it he's already watching us, so there's no point in trying to run now, he'll probably just follow. At least if we're here, we're in our element and we have the best chance of getting that fucker and his father in jail.”

Ashton nods in agreement, the boys immediately jumping into a plan to hopefully keep Luke safe. Michael knows the boy is scared, remaining completely silent as the other boys talked in hushed voices, almost as if they could be heard even if they were alone in the apartment. He just hopes that they can keep the fragile blonde boy safe.

...

Michael shuts the door behind their two friends, the couple finally returning to their own apartment a couple hours later, nerves fluttering in everyone's stomach as they all just hope for the best. Michael turns around, smiling when he finds Luke standing right behind him, immediately wrapping his arms around the blonde boy because he knows they both just need to be close to each other.

“How do you feel?” The hesitance is obvious in Michael's voice, but he needs to make sure that the younger boy is as okay as he can be in this situation. He feels Luke tense in his arms, so he leans in to kiss his forehead gently.

“I'm scared, Mikey.” Luke's voice is small, muffled by the soft fabric of Michael's shirt as he leans against the older boy's chest. Michael's heart breaks at those words, and he just hopes that they can fix all of this so that the younger boy can finally live in peace.

“I know baby, I know.”


	36. My Body Crashes To The Pavement

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally supposed to have a bunch of other shit, but I felt that it was better to split it up in two chapters because I want it to be really descriptive so it's very visual for you guys, and it would just end up being too long and choppy if I tried to fit it all in one. I hope you guys like this! I can't believe my first story is almost done. It's so bittersweet holy crap. If you haven't checked out me new fic, please do? It would mean a lot to me! Love you all! (title is from nightmare by set it off. I don't care how many times I use this song, it's fucking relevant.)
> 
> P.S. two weeks until my first rowyso show! if any of y'all happen to be going to rowyso detroit or cleveland then TELL ME DUDE WE CAN TOTALLY MEET UP. I doubt it but yeah, I had to ask.

Jack feels sick to his stomach as he sits with his so called father, planning how they're going to capture the poor, innocent Luke, take him away from Michael, the only person who ever showed him love. He honestly hates himself when he realizes that there's a good chance he won't be able to stop this bastard. In the back of his mind, he can't help wondering what will happen if they do manage to get this man in jail. Will Luke and Michael ever forgive him? He wouldn't blame them if they didn't. How can he expect someone else to forgive him when he can't even forgive himself?

...

Dread fills Michael the second he opens his eyes that morning. His throat feels like it wants to close up with the panic that he feels, and his arms immediately tighten around the fragile blonde boy cuddled up to him. He peeks over at the boy, noticing that he's awake, but far too engrossed his thoughts to notice that Michael is now awake too. “Morning baby,” Michael speaks softly, still causing Luke to jump slightly as he's pulled from his deep thoughts.

“Morning.” Luke whispers back, voice small as he bites his lips nervously. Michael knows the boy is absolutely terrified, and if he's being honest, he is too. He's never been more scared in his life, and he wants to kick himself for not encouraging Luke to bring this to the police a long time ago. They were far too wrapped up in the bliss of being with eachother, and it was naive of him to think that this wouldn't happen sooner or later. Although he worried about it, he figured that it had been long enough, and he was just thinking that maybe they would be safe after all. He almost laughs out loud when he realizes how stupid he was.

Michael kisses Luke gently, reminding him that he loves him more than anything. At this point all he can do is try his best to keep the boy safe, and to make sure he knows that he's loved and that people _will_ fight for him. He knows that in the back of Luke's head, he hopes his father has changed, but he also knows that the second he has any confirmation that Luke's father is in fact planning something that will harm him, he's calling the fucking police. The blonde boy doesn't deserve this treatment in the slightest, and he sure as hell doesn't need this man's love or approval. He has him, Alex, Ashton, and Calum too. Michael will _not_ let the bastard win.

He figures there's no point in stressing now, if anything is going to happen it won't be until later on when they're due to work with Jack. Michael is obviously going to take care of letting the man know that him and Luke will _not_ be going out for lunch, and hopefully that will throw off any of the potential plans they may have. It makes him sick to know that he almost let Luke go out with Jack alone.

“Do you want me to make you pancakes for breakfast, babe?” Michael gets out of the warm bed slowly, cringing as the cool air of the room hits him. He grabs a random hoodie from the floor, pulling it on as he waits for Luke's reply. His heart soars when the blonde boy smiles, nodding enthusiastically at the thought of pancakes. He's happy that he can still make the boy smile despite the circumstances, and he can't resist leaning down to give Luke one more kiss before he makes his way to the kitchen.

It's comforting to know that despite what happens today, this week, or in the next month, he'll always have Luke and Luke will always have him. He thinks about this as he mixes up the pancake batter, pouring it into the hot pan in the shape of a heart when he's finished, smiling when it turns out well. Somehow, even if it doesn't seem like it at the moment, they'll be fine.

...

Luke bounces his knee anxiously as he watches the familiar buildings they always see on their way to work flying up, the only thing keeping him somewhat calm is the weight of Michael's hand in his and his thumb brushing against the back of Luke's hand softly. He trusts Michael, knows that the boy would do anything to keep him safe, but he also knows what his father is capable of. He knows how dangerous the man can be, especially when he has back up and it's not just him.

He hates not knowing what will happen, and he just hopes that if they call the police as soon as they have any confirmation of their suspicions, they'll get there before things get bad. The blonde boy takes a deep breath as they pull up to the restaurant, his stomach twisting when he doesn't see Jack's car there yet even though they're already late for their shift by five minutes. He should definitely be there by now.

Michael turns to his beautiful boyfriend, both of them knowing that they're thinking the exact same thing. It doesn't need to be said, and both boys are completely aware of how much they other is panicking internally. “I know today is absolutely fucking terrifying, but I need you to know that I love you with everything I have. We _will_ get out of this, and when we do, we can finally live in peace. I will love you until the day I die, Lukey. You're the light in my life, and you've made me so much happier.” Michael takes in a shaky breath, choking back the tears that threaten to spill over. “So, let's get this over with. Let's get this bastard in jail, and then we can celebrate with some spaghetti and all your favourite movies later tonight.”

Luke wipes under his eyes hastily, smiling through the tears as he feels his chest fill with love for this perfect boy, the same one who's currently wiping away his tears. He flings himself into Michael's warm embrace, relishing in the feeling of Michael's soft, worn work shirt pressed against his cheek. He breathes in the familiar minty smell that clings to the boy, mixed with the comforting smell of clean laundry. They stay like that for a few minutes, Michael pulling away reluctantly and kissing the top of Luke's head. “Alright, let's get this shit over with.”

...

Michael goes to Alex as soon as they get in the restuarant, immediately spewing out all the details of what they've discovered in the last 24 hours. Ashton and even Calum are there, worried expressions on their faces as they watch their coworkers. The older man looks like he's going to throw up, the guilt evident on his face as he nods along to what Michael's saying. Michael knows that Alex and Jack had something in the past, something that was being rekindled over the last few weeks, and he's sure that the brunette is beating himself up for not noticing anything suspicious sooner. The red haired boy assures him that this is no one's fault, and that all they can do is hope for the best and watch out for the blonde boy the best they can.

Michael keeps Luke by his side as he talks to their boss, unable to part with the boy until this is all settled and they know that he's safe. It's then, as he frantically talks to Alex, clutching Luke to his side and trying not to panic, that the doors of the restaurant burst open, all hell breaking loose.

Michael turns immediately, fear coiling his stomach painfully as he sees no other than Jack bursting through that door. The man is panting heavily, clutching his stomach as he attempts to catch his breath enough to choke out words. “Leave. Michael y-you... You need to leave. Take Luke and fucking run, he's crazy and he'll stop at nothing. I'm so fucking sorry I didn't realize this sooner, but you really need to-”

The red haired boy feels like time stops in that moment, his mind faintly registering the sound of phone dialling, hopefully someone calling 911. He's more focused on the sound of a gun firing, immediately ducking down and throwing Luke behind him as fast as he can. He feels like he's drowning in his own fear, the sound of broken glass smashing on the floor distant, almost like he's under water and can't surface.

They're so fucked.


	37. We Could Make Forever After All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS IM LITERALLY SO EMO. THIS IS OFFICIALLY THE LAST CHAPTER AND THEN IM POSTING A LONG EPILOGUE. This story is literally my baby, and I couldn't be any prouder to have come this far and finished it. It's really sad to think that it's done after the epilogue, because it's been a part of my life for so long that it'll be weird to not write as these characters anymore. 
> 
> Even though I'm sad, this is exactly how I wanted it to end and I hope you guys are happy with it. There's no point in dragging it on and I think this was the right time. If you haven't checked it out yet, I have a new muke story called "Ready, Princess?" that you can read, so you're not getting rid of me quite yet. 
> 
> Thank you guys SO fucking much for all your support, you guys are what kept me going and pushed me to write until the end. I'm literally so thankful, and if you took the time to comment on basically every chapter, seriously it meant SO much to me. Stay tuned for a fucking cute and smutty epilogue within the next few days! I love you all so much! (title is from Cinderblock Garden by atl because it's probably my fav song off of future hearts and it reminds of of this fic a lot)
> 
> -Kara xx

Michael shakes his head frantically, trying to clear it enough to take in his surroundings. He reaches back for Luke blindly, almost crying in relief when the blonde boy's shaking fingers capture his own. The red haired boy's head whips around, taking note of the other boys all crouched around him, Calum and Ashton gripping onto each other for dear life, Alex holding his phone to his ear, frantically whispering into it. Clearly the shot was just to scare them. That, or they were really fucking lucky. The relief he feels is short lived though, interrupted a few seconds later by a deep, scratchy voice.

Michael feels Luke's grip on his hand tighten immediately, the blonde boy's fingers gripping so tightly that his nails were biting into Michael's skin. The green eyed boy feels his blood go cold, hatred immediately filling his body for this man. He's grateful that at the moment he can't see the man, because honestly he would have preferred living his entire life without seeing this fucking bastard. His thumb brushes over the back of Luke's hand gently, trying to calm the boy down as much as he can in this situation.

“Well, well well. Looks like you're a not loyal piece of shit just like your bitch of a mother, aren't you Jack?” Michael sees the top half of Jack's trembling body as the man backs up slowly until his back hits the bar they're hiding behind.

“It sure does look like that, doesn't it?” Michael admires the fact that Jack's voice still has a dangerous edge to it, despite the fact that the red haired boy knows he's scared shitless. “It also looks like you're just as much of a deadbeat bastard as my mother made you out to me. Glad we cleared that up.”

Michael doesn't dare to move an inch, barely even _breathing_ as he prays to the gods above that the police get here before this asshole can get any closer to Luke. His stillness is almost broken when the other voice, the one that belongs to the prick that happens to be Luke's father, startles him.

“Let's get one fucking thing straight here, boy. You were a fucking _mistake_. So was your faggot of a brother for that matter, but he chose to be like that. You shouldn't even have been _born_.” The green eyed boy feels pity for Jack as he flinches at his father's words, any of the confidence Michael saw earlier completely fading. “Now that we got that out of the way, you have two options. One; you can tell me where the fuck Luke and his bitch ass friends are and I'll let you go, as long as I never have to see your face again. Two; I'll fucking kill you and go find them myself.”

Jack steps forward, knowing that he needs to get away from this counter before his asshole father gets any closer, because he'll never forgive himself if he finds Luke and captures him. He gets up close to the man, almost gagging as the strong stench of stale beer fills his nostrils. He picks up the hand that's holding the gun, bringing it to his temple and giving his father a sinister smile. “Kill me. I fucking _dare_ you. I sure as fuck don't mind if you add another thing to your very long list of things that will keep you in jail _even longer_. Like you said, I'm a fucking mistake anyways. If I'm going to do one thing right in my pathetic life, it's going to be this. So there you have it, father.” Jack laughs brokenly, taking a death breath before he finishes. “ Finish me off, because the only way you're getting to Luke is over my dead fucking-”

Michael is so absorbed in what Jack is saying that he doesn't notice Luke's grip on his hand loosening before it's too late, and there's nothing more he can do that shout after the blonde boy, immediately following the blonde boy into a standing position. Luke steps in front of him, shocking everyone in the room with what he says next. “No! You're not going to come in here and act like you fucking own me. You never did anything to earn the title of my father, you're basically a fucking sperm donor for all I care, and you're sure as fuck not going to kill Jack just so you can get to me. You wanted to see my that fucking bad? Well here I am, with my gay fucking boyfriend, being faggots. So why don't you hurry the fuck up and leave before you catch the gay?” Luke is panting after he spits that all out, but his expression is challenging nonetheless, and Michael just feels an overwhelming amount of pride for his boy.

Andrew opens up his mouth to respond, and Michael sees the brief flash of shock take over his features before the fury. Much to Michael's relief, before the man even gets the chance to reply there are flashing lights, and Michael can barely keep up with how quickly everything happens.

Two police men burst through the doors, the bigger of the two immediately grabbing Andrew, holding him back while the other one handcuffs him. The two men then look at Jack, awkwardly standing to the side like he doesn't know what to do with himself. Michael didn't even notice him moving, he almost forgot that the Jack was even here. "Are you associated with this man?" One of the police men ask, giving Jack a questioning look. 

Luke makes eye contact with Jack briefly, opening his mouth to tell the police that it's fine, Luke has already forgiven the boy for what he did after the events that just unfolded. The older boy beats him too it , though, knowing that if he's _ever_ going to forgive himself, he needs to at least do this. "I-I... Yeah, I'm associated with him, and I take full responsibility." 

They look shocked for a moment, not used to someone just completely owning up to their actions like that, eventually just nodding and handcuffing Jack as well. The smaller man turns, “Alright, which one of you are Luke Hemmings?” Michael turns to Luke, giving him a small nod, trying to give the most comforting look possible given the situation.

He steps forward tentatively, “Me.” His voice is small, barely above a whisper as he plays with his shaking fingers nervously. The red haired boy wants nothing more than to reach forward at the moment, itching to offer the blonde boy reassurance from his touch. He police man's eyes turn to Luke, sympathy immediately flashing over his eyes.

“This is obviously your father, Andrew Hemmings?” The man asks, gesturing towards the bastard that is unfortunately Luke's father. The younger boy nods slightly, biting his lip, and Michael's heart breaks as he can tell that he's fighting tears. “Alright then, we're going to have to take both you and your father back to the station to talk about the obvious child abuse that is going on here.” The man glances between Luke and Michael, offering the couple a small smile before he turns back to Luke and says, “You can ride with him if you like.”

Luke smiles at that, just barely a twitch of his lips, but it's still there, and Michael's heart warms. The fragile boy nods at that, the police turning around and beginning to force Andrew towards their car, although the man seems to have given up on fighting against them at this point. It's time he accepts his punishment. The blonde boy turns to Michael once they're in the car and driving away, immediately closing the distance between them and literally _throwing_ himself into Michael's arms, burying his face in Michael's chest.

Michael catches his boyfriend easily, leaning down to press soft kisses to his head as he sobs into his chest. He knows Luke is just overwhelmed, and it's probably going to take a while for him to come to terms with everything that just happened, and he can't help but shed a few tears of his own as he realizes that they're finally free. Luke's father is going to get what's coming to him, and he and Luke can live without the constant fear that they're going to be found, and the little heaven they've created will be destroyed. Luke can live knowing that his father got exactly what he deserves for destroying his childhood, and he can finally move on from his past.

As the two boys grip onto each other, tears on both of their faces as they exchange whispered I love you's, one thing keeps repeating through Michael's brain.

They're going to be okay after all.


	38. I'll Find A Way To Fix These Broken Pieces And Let Go (EPILOGUE)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow.  
> Well first off, this took for fucking ever and I'm so sorry but I saw 5sos twice last week and I was very busy, but I knew this needed to be perfect so I wanted to take my time with it. I'm extremely sad to let this story go. It's been one hell of ride, and honestly thank you SO much to anyone who stuck with this fic, leaving kudos, comments, and just reading it at all. It means so much to me. 
> 
> If you want to see more of me I'm writing another muke fic and I occasionally post one shots so check those out! (title is from Broken Pieces by 5sos and can I just say Jet Black Heart fucked me up so bad, you have no idea. I was sobbing. All of the new songs so far are amazing and I'm so proud of the boys!!)
> 
> -Kara xx

~six months later~

Michael plays with the sleeves of his leather jacket nervously, running his fingers through his black hair as he watches the opening in the trees, waiting for his boy to walk through them. He reaches into his pocket, pulling out the small velvet box and running his fingers over the smooth surface. He thinks back to a month prior, his eyes scanning over the wide variety of rings in front of him, struggling to pick the right one, smiling when he caught sight of the ring of his dreams. He glances up at the trees again, opening the box slowly when he sees that he's still got time. The ring is simple, silver bands intertwining together, one band made entirely of diamonds. He can't help but think about how good it's going to look on Luke's slim finger.

He slips it back in his pocket, his heart skipping a beat when he hears rustling in the trees, the faint sound of Luke arguing with Alex about where the hell he's taking him. Michael smirks at that, watching as Alex emerges from the trees, towing along a blindfolded Luke. The blonde boy pouts cutely, and Michael bites his lip when he sees that he's wearing the jeans with the zippers, the ones that he _knows_ are Michael's favourite. Right now, though, Michael can only think about how he can't wait to take those same jeans _off_ later.

He mouths a thank you to Alex, the older man smiling as he gives him a thumbs up in return, mouthing a good luck as he turns around and heads back to where he came from. Michael approaches his beautiful boyfriend slowly, unable to resist leaning in and surprising the boy with a soft kiss, which he immediately melts into. “Mikey...” He breathes out, hands immediately flying up to touch the older boy's head, smiling when he recognizes the messy tuffs of hair.

The black haired boy pulls off the blindfold, smiling back as he whispers, “Hey, baby.” Luke giggles, leaning in to kiss him one more time, for good measure. He brings his hands to Michael's chest, fisting the soft fabric of the boy's shirt in his hands.

“I should have known you were behind this...” He giggles, and Michael's heart flutters, Luke still being able to effect him that way despite how long it's been. He grabs the blonde boy's smooth hand in his own, guiding him over to the blanket he has set up, letting him flop down on the side opposite to where his guitar is sitting.

“I, um... I've wanted to do this for so long now, and no place felt more right than _our_ place.” Michael's mumbling at this point, nerves getting the best of him even though he's usually out there and confident. Luke squints at him, confusion evident in his ocean blue eyes. Michael wipes his hands on his jeans, picking up his guitar and moving so that he's sitting cross-legged, placing the guitar in his lap gently. He figures it's time to let the music do the talking anyway. It's what he's best at.

The black haired boy lifts his gaze to Luke's once his fingers are places on the strings expertly, offering him a soft smile as he begins strumming softly. “Settle down with me. Cover me up, cuddle me in.” Michael sings softly, watching as recognition lights up on the blonde boy's face, almost as if he can see the boy putting everything together in his mind, his eyes immediately glossing over as he brings his hand to his mouth, gasping softly. Michael knows he must be thinking back to that night a few months ago, when they were tucked into the covers tightly, huddling together to keep warm, kiss me playing softly from Michael's stereo as Luke claimed that it would be “the perfect wedding song.”

“And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck.” Michael meets Luke's eyes once again, “I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet.” His heart soars as he watches Luke's reaction, the younger boy wiping as his eyes with sweater paws as Michael approaches the chorus. “Kiss me like you wanna be loved, you wanna be loved, you wanna be loved.”

Michael thinks back to their first kiss as he sings, his mind filling with beautiful memories as he shares another one with this beautiful boy. “Settle down with me, and I'll be your safety, you'll be my baby.” Michael's fingers shake with emotion as he continues, his love for the boy in front of him nothing short of overwhelming.

He pours his passion and love into his singing and playing, hoping that Luke can see just how much he means to him, that this moment is as special as Michael hoped it would be. He feels like time stops in this moment, and he can't help but tear up as his love for Luke consumes him. He feels so lucky as he plays for the boy, lucky to have found him, lucky to have had the privilege of being the first, and now the _last_ person to show this boy true love. His voice cracks with emotion as the last chorus comes around, “Kiss me like you wanna be loved, wanna be loved, wanna be loved. This feels like falling in love, falling in love We're falling in love.”

Michael literally tosses the guitar away when he's finished, completely unconcerned about it's well being, just knowing that he _needs_ to be close to Luke right now. The blonde boy literally throws himself into Michael's lap, burying his head in the boy's shoulder as he takes a few deep breaths. Michael blinks the tears out of his own eyes, pulling back and lifting Luke's chin so that he meets his watery gaze. The black haired boy giggles breathlessly, leaning in to kiss the tears off of Luke's cheeks, taking both of the blonde boy's hands in his.

“Since the day I first met you, I always knew there was something about you Lukey, something special.” Michael hears his voice wobbling, a couple stray tears falling as he takes a deep breath. “You're just so easy to love. The way you scrunch up your nose when you laugh, the way you always try to press yourself closer to me when we cuddle, even if we're already pressed together as tightly as we can be,” Michael brushes his finger over the back of Luke's hand gently.

“The way you roll over to my side of the bed and cuddle into my pillow as soon as I leave the bed, even if it's just for five minutes to go and get a glass of water. The way you trust me so wholeheartedly that it literally makes me feel like superman.” That draws a watery giggle from the boy, and Michael can't resist leaning in to kiss his cheek gently before he continues. “You bring out the best in me, Luke. Loving you has been an absolute honour, and I want nothing more than to continue doing that for the rest of my life.”

The blonde haired boy watches as Michael reaches into his pocket awkwardly, not an easy task when he has a lap full of his beautiful boy. When he finally gets it out, he meets Luke's blue eyes with his own green ones, both of their eyes filling with tears as Michael clears his throat, opening the box gently as he says, “What I'm trying to ask here is, Luke Hemmings, would you do me the absolute honour of marrying me?”

Luke nods frantically, his mouthing meeting Michael's in a fierce kiss as soon as the boy slips the ring on his finger. They can both taste the salty tears on their lips as the cling to each other, but neither of them care, and as the moonlight illuminates them softly, Luke can't help but think that this is the start of forever.

...

~1year later~

Michael smiles against Luke's mouth as the couple stumble into their hotel room, pressing the blonde boy against the door the second that they get it shut. Tonight was perfect, and his mind is filled with images of Luke's bright blue eyes, alight with happiness as Michael twirled him around the dance floor playfully, Kiss Me playing softly in the background.

His fingers grip at the tie around the younger boy's neck, ripping it off and tossing it behind him as his lips immediately attach to the warm skin of Luke's neck. “I've been waiting to do this all fucking day. Do you know how hard it was to stop myself from bending you over the table at that fancy restaurant?” Michael's voice is breathless, words coming out between kisses as his fingers unbutton Luke's shirt frantically. The blonde boy moans in response, his fingers flying up to tangle in Michael's soft lilac hair, the same colour as the bouquet of flowers the older boy presented to Luke earlier.

Luke forces his eyes open when Michael's lips pull away from his skin, smiling widely when he's immediately met with the boy's warm green gaze. He can't resist leaning in to capture Michael's mouth in a kiss once again, letting Michael push his shirt off his shoulders, guiding him over to the bed. They fall down onto the crisp white sheets, lost in each other and this moment as they continue to shed clothes until they're both completely bare.

Michael looks down at the beautiful boy beneath him, his thumb coming up to brush over his cheekbone, placing a soft kiss there and letting his lips trail down his jaw, eventually landing on his mouth once again. His touch remains gentle as he trails his fingers down the creamy skin of Luke's side, eventually opening the boy up gently with the lube he placed on the beside table when the dropped their bags off earlier. He watches as Luke's face scrunches up with pleasure, his entire body filled with the love he has for the boy.

Eventually he pulls his fingers out gently, drizzling some more lube on his fingers so that he can slick up his cock. He wipes the lube off onto the sheets carefully, taking Luke's hand in his own, flipping his hand over so what it's palm up, pressing them together and lacing their fingers together tightly. He shudders at the cool feeling of Luke's newly aqquired wedding ring against his warm skin, pushing into the boy slowly.

As he pounds into Luke, their moans filling the quiet room, the blonde boy's hand squeezing Michael's tightly as he arches his back, Michael decides that this will never get old.

He'll never get tired of being connected to Luke like this.

...

~10 years later~

Luke blinks his eyes open slowly, his vision bleary with sleep as he buries his head further into Michael's warm chest, willing whatever it is that woke him at this ungodly to go away. “Daddy?” He hears the soft voice of their now 5 year old daughter calling for him tentatively.

He immediately sits up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes quickly as he turns to the doorway, seeing Emma hovering in their doorway shyly. “What's up babygirl?” He tries to whisper, knowing that Michael will probably wake up anyways, his creepy father senses bringing him out of his slumber, but it's worth a shot.

The little girl comes to sit on his and Michael's bed when he beckons her over, tiny fingers clutching favourite purple blanket tightly. Luke feels Michael stirring as their baby climbs over his feet to sit next to the blonde man, and he smiles when she leaves one hand on Michael's calf, finding comfort in his touch. As expected, Michael sits up then, immediately noticing that Luke is no longer laying beside him, running a hand through his bedhead. When he spots Emma he frowns, noticing the tear tracks on her face as it's illuminated by the light coming through the window. “Why don't you tell us what's wrong sweetheart?”

The little girl's lip shakes as she lifts her eyes to Michael's, still as bright green as they were when Luke met him all those years ago. “Had a n-nightmare.” Her voice is small, and Luke has to resist the urge to coo when Michael lifts the girl into his arms carefully, letting his cuddle into his chest and breath in his calming scent, the same one that has calmed Luke so many times before.

“Shhh, you're safe now. It was just a dream baby.” Michael rocks the girl softly, Luke lifting his hand to play with her hair since he knows it always calms the girl. Still, he keeps his eyes on Michael, admiring the boy's relaxed expression, eyes closed like they always are when he hugs someone, and he's honestly so in love with him. He's just as in love with Michael as he was 10 years ago.

“Daddy?” Emma pulls away from Michael's embrace slightly, looking up at him timidly. “Can I sleep in your bed tonight?” Michael agrees automatically, meeting Luke's eyes over Emma's head and giving him a soft smile. The couple settle back down, Emma tucked safely between them as they face each other, tired green eyes meeting blue.

Michael lifts his hand up, sliding his fingers between Luke's so they can rest their linked hands on the little girl's back gently, watching as she drifts back into sleep easily. Soon enough Michael's fingers go slack in his, his eyes shut and breathing even.

As he watches the two people he loves most in the world sleeping peacefully, all of them pressed so tightly together, Luke can't help but think that his little family is perfect.


End file.
